Washington,D.C. July 26,2012 (PAHO/WHO)- On July 25, the PAHO Secretariat from Headquarters held the inaugural virtual meeting of the Regional Consultation as a follow-up to the Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing and Coordination (CEWG).

The goals of the Regional consultation kick-off meeting were to ensure country engagement, and the discussion of the consultation process, mechanism and chronogram with Member State focal points.  As well, it was presented and debated the guiding questions to be addressed by Member States.

The consultation is open and will be facilitated through a community of practice in the Regional Platform on Innovation and Access for Health Technologies. 

The Regional Consultation was organized at the request of the PAHO Executive Committee.  A document summarizing the Regional Consultation will be presented at the Pan American Sanitary Conference in September.

 

Background

At the last World Health Assembly Member States approved WHA 65.22 “Follow up of the report of the Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing and Coordination”.   This resolution requests the Director-General to hold an open-ended meeting of Member States that will thoroughly analyze the report and with a follow-up during the 66th World Health Assembly.   This Resolution also requests the regional committees to discuss in their meetings the report of the CEWG within the context of the application of the global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property in order to draft proposals and concrete measures.   Accordingly, the Executive Committee of PAHO at its June meeting requested the Secretariat to organize a Regional consultation, the results of which will be incorporated in a working document to be presented at the Pan American Sanitary Conference in September.

Contacts

• Dr. James Fitzgerald. Coordinator, Medicines and Technologies (MT). Area of Health Systems based on Primary Health Care (HSS) This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

• Dr. Analía Porrás,  Advisor, Medicines and Health Technologies (HSS/MT). Health Systems based on Primary Health Care (HSS). This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

Links

• Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing and Coordination (CEWG)

• Resolution CD47.R7 Public Health, Health Research, Production and Access to Essential Medicines.

• PAHO. Public Health perspective on Intellectual Property Rights management

• Regional Platform on Access and Innovation for Health Technologies