The first edition of the global Access to Nutrition Index (ATNI) report and rankings was released recently, reports Triple Pundit. The good news is that finally we have the metrics to evaluate how these companies address challenging nutritional issues, the bad news is that most of them perform quite poorly. When almost all of the top 10 pupils in your class get an F grade, it’s usually due to one of two causes – either the test you gave is not fair, or there’s something very wrong with this class. Read more to find the answer in this case.
Second chance for governments to make history and agree to an Arms Trade Treaty
Cross posted from Oxfam
“Seeing young boys carrying AK-47’s, and young girls with their babies in one arm and a gun in the other was a frightening sight.”
Djimon Hounsou
Actor and Oxfam ambassador
Governments from over 190 member states have a second chance to make history this month by agreeing the first ever Arms Trade Treaty, a coalition of NGOs and human rights groups said.
Diplomats are meeting in New York for two weeks of negotiations at the United Nations, to agree an Arms Trade Treaty, which will control the international supply of arms and ammunition.
The Control Arms coalition, supported by Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou, urged diplomats to use the time effectively to close the massive loopholes in the current draft text and agree a treaty that will truly save lives.
In July 2012, member states were unable to reach agreement on the ATT after a number of countries including the US and Russia requested more time in the final hours of negotiations. Since July, there have been indications that some of those major exporters are more open to agreeing a treaty this time around.
Bring the arms trade under control
“It’s ‘crunch time’ in New York this week. The negotiations must successfully deliver a strong treaty text as the world can wait no longer for a global treaty to bring the arms trade under control. Too many unscrupulous regimes, militias, arms dealers and criminals can easily get their hands on dangerous weapons. Too many innocent civilians including teachers, doctors or children die as a result of the current situation. It’s now time to put an end to this and agree on robust and clear rules that will bring the trade of M16s, AK47s, attack helicopters and countless rounds of ammunition under control,” said Anna Macdonald, Oxfam’s Head of Arms Control.
“Seeing young boys carrying AK-47’s, and young girls with their babies in one arm and a gun in the other was a frightening sight, like something out of a Hollywood movie, but for me it was a painful reminder of what I myself could’ve become,” said Djimon Hounsou, Actor and Oxfam ambassador. “But it’s apparent that the people of South Sudan long for peace with both their brothers to the north and within their own borders.”
“It doesn’t solve every problem, but a strong Arms Trade Treaty on weapons and ammunition is not something we can question. It is something we must act upon; today,” continued Hounsou.
The Control Arms coalition said that the draft text from July 2012 contains many of the basic elements needed to better regulate the global arms trade. However, the campaigners say the text also includes a number of weaknesses which threaten to fatally undermine the treaty’s overall effectiveness.
Several weaknesses and loopholes
In its current form, Control Arms believes, the treaty does little to increase responsibility and restraint in the global arms trade. One major concern is that ammunition, a deadly trade worth more than $US4 billion annually, is covered by weaker provisions than other types of weapons.
“We cannot have a treaty that regulates the trade in arms but excludes one of the main causes of death: the bullets. Some conflicts in Africa have been prolonged because of the ability of combatants to reload. We need to regulate how ammunitions are transferred from the production line, to the end destination,” said Geoffrey Duke, National Coordinator of the South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms (SSANSA).
Another clause could exempt weapons transfers from the treaty if they are labeled as being part of a “national defence cooperation agreement”. This clause, introduced by India, would mean that transfers made under existing defence contracts, between Russia and Syria for example, would be allowed to stay outside of the jurisdiction of a future treaty.
Control Arms is also worried that the criteria that set out whether or not an arms transfer is permissible are too weak and contain loopholes that could allow some irresponsible deals to continue to slip through the net.
“These ‘escape clauses’ have been pushed by a vocal minority of states. They want a Swiss cheese Treaty, full of holes to continue their deadly trade with impunity. The majority of governments who are craving for a safer world must speak out and get the most robust ATT agreed in two weeks’ time,“ said Allison Pytlak, Campaign Manager at Control Arms.
Oxfam has also recently published a report Getting it Right: The pieces that matter for the Arms Trade Treaty
Spending on drugs slows due to increased use of generics but new price increases loom
Spending on prescription drugs nationwide has been slowing for years, reports the New York Times, because of the increasingly widespread use of low-cost generics. But in 2012, something unheard-of happened: money spent on prescription drugs actually dropped. But some are warning that the ever-expanding use of generics has masked a growing problem for the government, insurers and others who pay the bill for prescription drugs: the rising cost of complex specialty medicines that treat cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases.
Access to Nutrition Index: Corporate responsibility or opening markets?
A new initiative launched today called Access to Nutrition Index – sponsored by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) (1) and the Gates Foundation has been slammed by critics as a whitewash. GAIN is a new type of public private entity which claims to work to tackle malnutrition – but Patti Rundall, Co-Chair of the International Baby Food Action Network, says its work seems to focus on opening up markets for its 600 partner companies (including Danone, the world’s second largest baby food company, Mars, Pepsi, and Coca Cola).
New report on tobacco industry efforts to undermine health in Latin America
A new report, issued in Spanish under the title “Health is non-negotiable; Civil society addresses the tobacco industry’s strategies in Latin America” describes the range of strategies the global tobacco industry deploys to circumvent the restrictions imposed on cigarette advertising. The report was prepared by the Argentine and Mexican chapters of the Inter-American Heart Foundation (Fundación Interamericana del Corazón, FIC) and Brazil’s Alliance for the Control of Tobacco Use (Aliança de Controle do Tabagismo, ACT), among other organizations.
New York Times urges Bloomberg to pursue soda tax instead of portion size limitation
In an editorial, the New York Times urged Mayor Bloomberg not to appeal a judge’s decision to reject the city’s proposed limitation on soda portion size and instead to pursue a penny-per ounce state tax on sugary drinks. “Just as taxes helped cut the use of cigarettes,” argued the Times, “taxes could help cut the public’s indulgence in high-calorie, giant drinks.”
High court allows Amgen suit
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for a securities-fraud lawsuit alleging Amgen Inc played down safety concerns about two drugs used to treat anemia. The court’s 6-3 decision, written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, affirmed a lower-court ruling that had certified the lawsuit to proceed as a class action. The suit, brought by Connecticut pension funds on behalf of purchasers of Amgen stock, alleged the Thousand Oaks, Calif., company repeatedly reassured investors about the safety of anemia drugs Aranesp and Epogen even as clinical trial data raised concerns that the drugs could harm cancer patients. Amgen’s statements led to inflated share prices, the suit alleged.
Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us
In his new book Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us (New York, Random House 2013), Michael Moss describes how food companies entice customers with salt, sugar and fat to maximize sales and profits. Amy Goodman interviews Moss on Democracy Now.
Brand-specific consumption of alcohol among underage youth in the United States
A new article in Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research reports that underage youth alcohol consumption, although spread out over several alcoholic beverage types, is concentrated among a relatively small number of alcohol brands. The alcohol brands with highest prevalence of past 30-day consumption by youth were Bud Light (27.9%), Smirnoff malt beverages (17.0%), and Budweiser (14.6%). The authors conclude that this finding has important implications for alcohol research, practice, and policy.
Civil society groups call on WTO to extend patent rules for least developed countries
On February 21, 2013, 376 civil society organizations sent a letter to members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) calling for a further extension of the transition period for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) under article 66.1 of the TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement. (For more on TRIPS). Excerpts are below:
Dear Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO),
As civil society organizations concerned with access to medicines, to educational resources, to environmentally sound technologies (ESTs), and to other public goods and cultural creations and further concerned with farmers’ rights, food security, human flourishing, sustainable and equitable technological and industrial development in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), we call on WTO Members to unconditionally accord the LDC Group an extension of the transition period as requested by the LDC Group in their duly motivated request to the TRIPs Council (IP/C/W/583).
Article 66.1 of the TRIPS Agreement accorded LDC Members of the WTO a renewable ten-year exemption from most obligations under the TRIPS Agreement in view of the special needs and requirements of the LDC Members, their economic, financial and administrative constraints and their need for flexibility to create a viable technological base.
This exemption was originally due to expire on 31 December 2005. However, a TRIPS Council decision of 27 June 2002, exempted LDCs from having to implement or enforce patents and test data obligations with regard to pharmaceutical products until 1 January 2016. Without prejudice to this extension, the TRIPS Council extended the general TRIPS compliance transition period for LDC Members for all obligations under the TRIPS Agreement, other than Articles 3, 4 and 5, until 1 July 2013 or until such date on which a Member ceases to be an LDC, whichever date is earlier.
On 5 November 2012 the Delegation of Haiti on behalf of the LDC Group submitted a duly motivated request to the WTO TRIPS Council for an extension of the LDC transition period, until a Member ceases to be a LDC. Annexed to the request is a draft decision text for the consideration of the TRIPS Council. The draft decision states: “Least developed country Members shall not be required to apply the provisions of the Agreement, other than Articles 3, 4 and 5, until they cease to be a least developed country Member”.
We are of the view that Article 66.1 obliges the TRIPS Council to approve without conditions the duly motivated request submitted by the LDCs. Thus we strongly urge all WTO Members to urgently support the LDC Group request and to approve the LDC request and proposed draft decision.
LDCs are fully justified in seeking an unlimited extension for so long as any LDC Member is so classified because shorter extensions, even sequential extensions, will not give LDCs adequate time to overcome capacity constraints and to develop a viable and competitive technological base. By definition, LDCs face ongoing resource and human constraints, widening technological gaps, and weak innovative capacities. Overcoming these problems takes contextually specific strategies, policy flexibility, greater financial resources, but it also takes time – decades not years. Similarly, LDCs are fully justified in seeking a group extension rather than individual country extensions and in seeking extensions with respect to all TRIPS obligations rather than select obligations only. LDCs, by definition, are similarly situated with respect to development challenges and they should have full flexibility as a group. LDCs are also fully justified in not promising to maintain current levels of IP protections. LDCs must not be asked to undertake additional obligations.
In conclusion we request that:
- All WTO Members honor their obligation under Article 66.1 and unconditionally accord to the Least Developed Countries the requested extension. Accordingly all WTO Members should support and agree at the upcoming meetings of the TRIPS Council to the draft decision text presented by the LDC Group that: “Least developed country Members shall not be required to apply the provisions of the Agreement, other than Articles 3, 4 and 5, until they cease to be a least developed country Member”.
- WTO Members do NOT attach to the extension decision any conditions and limitations that limit the policy space and flexibility available to LDCs under Article 66.1 of TRIPS.
In conclusion, we stress that any attempt to weaken or to refuse Least Developed Countries (LDCs) rights that they are entitled to under the TRIPS Agreement will damage the credibility of the WTO as it will show that the multilateral trading system is unable to benefit the poorest and most vulnerable segment of the international community.
The full text of the letter and a list of the 376 signing organizations is available here.
Corporations and Health Watch 