PHA-Exchange> UPDATE - GLOBAL PETITION ON ACCESS TO MEDICINES & TRADE

[amitchell at Oxfam.org.uk]

Health Before Wealth - Demand the World Trade Organisation Changes its
Patent Rules


The Oxfam - Third World Network - Health Gap Coalition global petition on
world trade rules and access to medicines was temporarily suspended last
week due to concerns that it may have been viewed as insensitive following
the September 11th terrorist attacks in the US.


The petition has now been re-focused to take these sensitivities into
account while continuing to focus on the same goal - demonstrating the
strength of global public concern about World Trade Organisation (WTO)
patent rules that put the profits of powerful drug companies before public
health in poor countries.


The revised petition is live on the internet NOW at
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/health and will run through till November when it
will be presented to the WTO at its meeting in Qatar. The petition calls on
WTO members, in particular the United States, to demonstrate their
commitment to put health before wealth by changing and clarifying global
patent rules at the forthcoming WTO summit conference.


To achieve mass support for the revised petition we rely on the support of
individuals and organisations across the world.


As an individual you can support the campaign by signing the petition
online now at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/health and by telling all your
friends and colleagues to do the same!


Your organisation can also support the global petition in one or more of
the following ways:


1. Advertise and put a link to the petition on your website - the petition
page is at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/health


2. Circulate details of the petition to member organisations, alliances and
networks


3. Encourage supporters to sign the petition and encourage member
organisations and alliances to promote the petition to their supporters or
partners


4. Endorse the petition by sending your organisations name and contact
details to amitchell at oxfam.org.uk.  We will display the names of all
organisations that endorse the petition on the petition site.


A variety of resources have been produced to help promote the petition
including campaign banner adverts or logo's are available if you want make
your website link more visual. The adverts can be downloaded from the
petition site. To access the banner advert and for further information on
how to download it onto your own website go to
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/health and click on 'download'.   A4 petition
sheets for use 'offline' can also be downloaded from the petition website.


I hope you and your organisation will be able to support the petition. If
you have any queries please contact Anna Mitchell at Oxfam GB on +44 1865
313198 or at amitchell at oxfam.org.uk


Anna Mitchell, Oxfam gb



Oxfam works with others to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering.

Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International, a company limited by guarantee and registered in England No. 612172.
Registered office: 274 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7DZ.
Registered charity No. 202918.

Visit the web site at http://www.oxfam.org.uk