Statement on behalf of Consumers International
(formerly International Organisation of Consumers' Unions)
by Bas van der Heide
for WHO Executive Board, 105th session
on agenda item: 2 / Public private partnerships for health
Mr Chairman, distinguished members of the Executive Board,
I am speaking on behalf of Consumers International (CI). I would like to thank you for the opportunity to raise issues of importance to consumers worldwide. On pharmaceutical questions, CI works closely together with Health Action International (HAI), a global network of health, development and consumer groups active in more than 70 countries.
On infant feeding CI works with the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN).
I would like to say a few words on WHO's partnership with commercial enterprises.
In a world where healthcare systems and services are increasingly being privatised and commercialised, there is an urgent need for WHO to protect its status as a truly independent advocate for human rights and health for all. As the highest policy setting body on health in the world, WHO has a duty to ensure that its policies, research priorities and direction are not inadvertently subverted in its drive to attract funds and resources.The agenda of profit-making companies is not the same as that of a public body such as the WHO and is at times conflicting. The most important question therefore is whether increased interaction with the commercial sector is a major way forward towards Health For All. WHO must be able to demonstrate that the poor directly benefit from more public-private partnerships. Acceptance of industry partnerships and industry sponsorship without strong, enforceable, accountable and transparent guidelines for these relationships will undermine and destroy the organisation's role, responsibility and reputation.
In May 1999 HAI wrote to Dr Brundtland expressing serious objections to the secondment of a representative of the pharmaceutical industry to WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative. In October we received a draft of the WHO Guidelines on Interaction with Commercial Enterprises and were invited to comment on them. In our response, we said HAI was pleased to see that WHO was now addressing this important issue which affects the very foundation of its work. The main flaw of the draft guidelines is that they do not give sufficient guidance for a serious evaluation of the activities of potential and current commercial partners and therefore do not substantially reduce the risk of conflict of interest.
For example, just as tobacco manufacturers should not be allowed to fund WHO activities, any private enterprise that has a vested interest in infant feeding or the pharmaceutical market must be excluded from such an influential relationship as well.
Mr Chairman, members of the Executive Board, we thank you for your attention.