Corporations Dominate Trade Panels that Set Global Health Policy

[Guest guest]

The trade agreements are another part of the threat to a representative

government. These agreements are being used to privatize all aspects of

government. If you look at what third world countries are required to do in

order to receive help from IMF and the world bank.....you'll see what is now

being attempted in the US and Canada. If successful, say good-bye to public

education, and the rest of public services like social security, medicare,

epa, fda, etc. This is what is called the ownership society. It's

survival of the fittest and the wealthiest.

Cheryl

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DECEMBER 15, 2005

6:01 AM

CONTACT: Center for Policy Analysis on Trade and Health

Ellen Shaffer, Joe Brenner, Center for Policy Analysis on Trade and Health,

+1-415-933-6204 (Ellen) +852-9475-7741 (Joe in Hong Kong)

Abbott, California Public Health Association-North, +1-916-283-4778

Mele Lau-, Chinese Progressive Association, +1-415-310-8959

Kinner, Physicians for Social Responsibility, +1-202-230-3482

Wagner, Earthjustice, +1-510-550-6700

Cheryl , American Nurses Association, +1-301-580-5327

Corporations Dominate Trade Panels that Set Global Health Policy

Public Health Groups Sue US Government for Fair & Democratic Representation

OAKLAND, California - A lawsuit filed today in US Federal District Court by

public health and health professionals demanding that corporate interests be

balanced with public interest representation on US Industry Trade Advisory

Committees (ITACs) that advise the US Trade Representative (USTR) on trade

policies affecting public health. Non-profit and public interest

organizations have been systematically denied posts on industry-dominated

trade advisory committees that impact the health of millions of people

around the world.

The suit was filed today in US District Court in San Francisco by

Earthjustice on behalf of a coalition of public health organizations

including: the Center for Policy Analysis on Trade and Health (CPATH),

California Public Health Association-North, the Chinese Progressive

Association, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the American Nurses

Association. The coalition claims that the current makeup of advisory

committees used by the Bush administration to establish trade policy favors

corporate interests and illegally excludes public health advocates.

At issue are committees that advise the USTR on a variety of public and

environmental health protections, from standards for healthy food, water,

health care services, and hazardous waste disposal services to access to

generic pharmaceuticals and patenting of plants. For example, policies set

by industry-dominated ITACs could prohibit public school systems from

requiring limits on school soda machines. Trade policies have limited

consumer access to generic drugs, and could remove privacy protections from

medical records, and promote privatization of public water supplies.

The Federal Advisory Committees Act (FACA) requires that advisory committees

be " fairly balanced in terms of the points of view represented. " Though the

US General Accounting Office recently issued a report criticizing the US

Trade Representative for not opening most of its committees to public

interest representatives, the USTR has failed, despite repeated requests

from CPATH and others, to appoint representatives of public and

environmental health organizations to several ITACs. So public interest

organizations are now forced to go to court, seeking to ensure balance on

these federal advisory panels.

" We are calling on the US Trade Representative to obey the law and create

more balanced advisory panels, " said Ellen Shaffer, director of the Center

for Policy Analysis on Trade and Health (CPATH). " Public health policy is an

issue too important to be left to a private club of special interests. If

there's room for the pharmaceutical, alcohol, food processing and health

insurance industries, there must be room for us. "

Wagner, director of international programs for Earthjustice who is

representing the coalition said, " US trade policy affects the health of

people and the environment around the world. But the US Trade Representative

is getting its most direct guidance from committees dominated by industries

seeking to maximize corporate profits rather than promote global health.

This suit seeks to bring a public voice to these important decisions. "

" Currently the health advisory committees are made up exclusively of

industry representatives, " said Abbott, President of California Public

Health Association-North. " The foxes are not just guarding the hen house,

but they are selling the eggs in a private market. That's no way for

international trade policy to be made. "

" You would think that a trade panel empowered to make public health

decisions that will impact millions of people would seek out a few doctors

and medical experts with no ties to industry, " said Kinner of

Physicians for Social Responsibility. " But unfortunately, that is not

happening. Hopefully this legal action will bring some balance to the

process. "

" The public health impact of increased trade is of particular interest to

Chinese-Americans, " said Mele Lau- of the Chinese Progressive

Association. " While worker safety standards are relatively high in the West,

many industries seeking to outsource labor actually encourage lower public

health and worker safety policies overseas to increase profits. This is

unconscionable. There needs to be more oversight of this process by public

health experts in the US demanding the highest international standards for

Western corporations outsourcing labor. "

" International trade agreements affect health services and the personnel who

deliver them. Given this it is critical that the U.S. trade advisory process

be open, transparent and balanced, " said Barbara Blakeney, President of the

American Nurses Association.

Read the complaint here.

http://www.earthjustice.org/news/documents/12-05/HealthITACsComplaint.pdf