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NGOs ask WHO DG Dr Chan to take steps to insulate WHO from corporate capture & other undue influences
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Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai
October 28 , 2015
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Over 40 NGOs working in health, right to food and nutrition or human
rights have urged the Director General of World Health Organisation
(WHO) Dr. Margaret Chan to ensure that the WHO Secretariat act in good
faith and protect the independence, integrity and credibility of the
organisation and to initiate measures to insulate WHO from corporate
capture and other undue influences.
The NGOs concern comes in the
backdrop of the recent discussion by the WHO member states on a new
problematic document, referred to as 'non-paper' that has been prepared
by WHO's Secretariat. This paper lists supposed risks of implementing
Framework of Engagement With Non State Actors (FENSA) and suggests that
it would have “detrimental consequences on the work of WHO.”
For
the past four years and as part of the WHO reform, WHO and its
governing bodies have been discussing the new set of policies called
FENSA. This is a critically important document as its final shape will
determine whether WHO will be an agency able to protect its
independence, integrity and credibility. As part of this exercise, the
member states are also discussing the non-paper prepared by WHO's
Secretariat.
Expressing concern about the “non-paper” titled
“Implications of Implementing Framework of Engagement with Non-state
Actors” that was issued by the WHO Secretariat on October 14, 2015, the
NGOs in their letter to Dr Chan said that the WHO member states
initiated the development of the FENSA to safeguard the independence,
integrity and credibility of the WHO when engaging with ‘non-state
actors’ (NSAs). FENSA was to provide a robust framework for engagement
with NSAs to ensure the protection of the organisation from undue
influence especially in its norms and standard setting functions.
The
paper by the Secretariat can undermine further strengthening of a FENSA
and prevent it becoming a truly robust framework, as the paper lists
the potential ‘unintended consequences’ often in an exaggerated manner,
as assumptions, without providing any empirical evidence to back up
these claims, the NGOs said.
“We would like to point out that it
is high time to take measures in the Organisation to insulate WHO from
corporate capture and other undue influences. It will be a step in the
right direction if the final framework contains effective provisions for
identifying risks of undue corporate influence, including conflicts of
interest, and measures to avoid and when not possible, manage, such
risks in a transparent and effective manner,” the NGOs in their letter
said.
All India Drug Action Network, Arugaan Philippines,
Associação Mama Mater/IBFAN Portugal, Blue Cross Norway, Centre for
Science in the Public Interest (Canada), CESTA Friends of the Earth El
Salvador, Corporate Accountability International, El Poder del
Consumidor from Mexico, Health Equalities Group, Health Innovation in
Practice (HIP) Geneva, Initiative for Health & Equity in Society
India, Institute for Socioeconomic Studies - INESC (Brazil), Lactation
Consultants of Great Britain, Third World Network (TWN), UK Health Forum
and Youth Network No Excuse Slovenia are some of the NGOs which have
signed the letter to Dr. Chan.
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