ACTION TO SUPPORT THE AFRICAN GROUP AT THE WTO TO ASSURE CHANGES IN THE TRIPS AGREEMENT.



Dear friends,
You all know the difficult situation of so many Africans who are deprived of the use of medicines, because of the high prize, and the patent protection granted to the Pharmaceutical Industry by the TRIPS Agreement of the WTO.

Faced with this situation, the Africa group of countries at the WTO, have succeeded in getting the WTO TRIPs Council to hold special session on patents and access to medicines in their June meeting.

The WTO TRIPS agreement sets the standards for patent protection which must be applied by all WTO members worldwide. Public pressure will be needed to ensure that this discussion results in some concrete changes at the The Fourth Ministerial meeting of the WTO
in Qatar in November.

AEFJN is campaigning to strengthen the existing public health safeguards so that developing countries can limit or waive patents on vital drugs in the interests of public health. This would give them an unambiguous right to obtain the cheapest possible life-saving medicines without facing the same threat of legal pressure as South Africa, or WTO trade
disputes of the kind currently facing Brazil.

AEFJN belongs to the "TRIPs Action Network" (TAN), an international coalition of rganisations demanding that the TRIPs Agreement must protect the public interest and
human rights including the right to health. We will be campaigning in the run-up to the June TRIPS Council
Meeting and taking part in an international day of action in September.

Pressure on governments from groups and individuals raising their concerns in the lead up to June / September TRIPS Council could have real impact. Please send the request to your Major Superiors, Religious Conferences, Parishes, Bishops Conferences, etc...

Action: Please help to influence the European and USA governments - key decision-makers within the powerful European group of countries at the WTO - to take the lead in pushing for reform of TRIPS.
1. Write to the Ministry of Trade of your government.

2. Inform the media
Pass the message around, and pass the documents of AEFJN on "TRIPS" and on "Medicines for all in Africa" (Plan of Action 2001 and Forum for Action) to the media saying, to them that: - development, health and environment groups are all concerned about TRIPs, and at the same time explain what they are and what the threat is - trying to create popular understanding.

UK: Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, DTI, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET,
or email dti.inquiries@dti.gsi.gov.uk
Spain: SECRETARÍA DE ESTADO DE COMERCIO Y TURISMO - Pš de la Castellana, 162 - 28071 Madrid - Fax: 91 349 52 42
D. G. DE COMERCIO EXTERIOR Pš de la Castellana, 162 - 28071 Madrid - Fax 91 457 28 63
France: Laurent Fabius, ministre de l'Économie, des finances et de l'industrie -
Model letter:
Date
Name: organization, group
To:
Subject: Request to make concrete changes on the TRIPS Agreement at the WTO 4th Ministerial in Quatar.
Dear .... (Name of the Minister, or of Pascal Lamy),
We are a group of .... (say in 3 or 4 lines whom you are, whom you represent, and your relation to Africa )..
We are really concerned by the situation of so many Africans who do not have access to medicines because of the high prizes, and the difficulty for governments to get exemptions to produce, import or trade on vital medicines for their population.
We are aware that the TRIPs Agreement, as currently constructed, will prevent poor countries from making low-cost medicines accessible to the poorest in society.
This is why we call on your government and on the European Union, to take stronger leadership in strengthening the public health safeguards in TRIPs, - the use of parallel imports and compulsory licensing -, and not forcing poorer countries to implement TRIPs until and if they can afford to do so.
We also call on your government to allow developing countries to limit or waive patents on all vital medicines on public health grounds, and to have control over specific exemptions at country level. To encourage and support voluntary licensing for local or regional production of new essential medicines. To support technology transfer and to provide long-term reliable support for Research for all infectious diseases affecting developing countries.
We hope that you will take care of our concerns and those of the African group at the TRIPS Council.
Yours sincerely


Begona Inarra
AFRICA-EUROPA Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN)
174, rue Joseph II
B- 1000 Bruxelles
Belgium
Tel. 32.2.234 68 12
Fax. 32.2.231 14 13
e-mail: aefjn@village.uunet.be
www.aefjn.org