NEW MECHANISM NEEDED FOR VIRUS SHARING EQUITY
KBRI Ottawa - 10 April 2007The Government of the Republic of Indonesia has hosted a High-Level Meeting on Responsible Practices for Sharing Avian Influenza Viruses and Resulting Benefits held in Jakarta on March 26-28, 2007. The Ministers of Health and Senior Health Officials of 27 respective countries and representatives of World Health Organization (WHO) has attended the aforesaid High-Level Meeting.
Preceding the High-Level Meeting, senior health officials had conducted a Technical Meeting which reached a consensus that it is the time for the world to create a new mechanism for sample virus sharing. The technical meeting also adopted a recommendation a comprehensive approach in the process of risk assessment and management that include prevention, protection and response to the endemic and pandemic diseases.
Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia , Ms. Siti Fadilah Supari highlighted the importance of effective and efficient cooperation among world health stakeholders in order to create an equity anti-virus development. Furthermore, she recognized the role of WHO to deliver technical assistance for developing countries obtaining access to anti-virus development. This is to examine further regarding the rule of the game of the bird flu sample sharing which give advantage for the victim countries and the vaccine producers as well. The lack of access of the developing countries of bird flu vaccine could endanger the future of world peace.
The High-Level Meeting discussed intensively on three areas namely: enhancement and improvement global influenza surveillance network, capacity building for developing countries in the field of vaccine development, and increasing access for safe, effective and good-quality vaccine to prevent broaden spread of bird flu.
The High-Level Meeting has adopted “Jakarta Declaration” which reads as follows:
- We, the Health Ministers of affected and other related countries, assembled in Jakarta on 28 March 2007 to explore the modalities of a framework that strongly emphasizes the need for developing countries to share in the benefits resulting from the open and timely and equitable sharing and dissemination of information, data and biological specimens related to influenza, and especially the development and production of influenza vaccines that are accessible and affordable for all countries in order to accelerate local, regional and global preparedness and response to the threat of pandemic avian influenza
- We underline that global risk assessment and risk response to the threat of pandemic influenza including avian influenza require concerted efforts among states, international partners, including UN organizations, donor agencies, manufacturing industries, and civil society organizations;
- We acknowledge the need for open, timely, and equitable sharing and dissemination of information, data and biological specimens related to influenza and their benefits;
- We endorse the “Recommendations on Responsible Practices for Sharing Avian Influenza Viruses and Resulting Benefits”, that was recently developed in the High-Level Technical Meeting that took place in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 26-27 March 2007;
- We urge all member states of the WHO to commit to support, strengthen and improve the Global Influenza Surveillance Network leading to a more transparent and equitable sharing of benefits from the generation of information, diagnostics, drugs, vaccines, and other technologies through the aforementioned framework;
- We call upon all member states of the WHO to discuss the matters in the 60th World Health Assembly in May 2007 in order to build on the WHO Best Practices for Sharing Influenza Viruses and Sequence Data, and the Global Pandemic Influenza Action Plan to increase vaccine supply, which will ultimately result in stronger global public health security;
- We, the Health Ministers, request the WHO to convene the necessary meetings, initiate the critical processes and obtain the essential commitment of all stakeholders to establish the mechanisms for more open virus and information sharing and accessibility to avian influenza and other potential pandemic influenza vaccines for developing countries.
Jakarta , 28 March 2007
For further information, please contact:
Mr. Iswayudha
Minister Counsellor for Public Affair
Phone : 613-7241100
Fax : 613-7241105