PHM-Exch> Marketing: URGENT MESSAGE: Please help remove Para 56bis in the Political Declaration on NCDs

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Patti Rundall <prundall at babymilkaction.org>

*Marketing:  URGENT MESSAGE: Please help remove Para 56bis in the  Political
Declaration on NCDs
*


This is an urgent message to all those who are not yet on holiday and are
able to contact their government or UN contacts officials.

The latest version of the  Political Declaration (dated 29.7.11) we are told
 Member States aim to finalise by the end of this week.  Many of us
are very worried
to see that some entirely new text has  crept in in the last week - namely
in Para 56 bis.  (see below)

IBFAN has been pleased to see the text improve in many ways over the last
few weeks,  with some good language inserted by Norway, the EU and others
calling for the regulation of marketing, the avoidance conflicts of interest
monitoring and the protection of breastfeeding.   Some of these sections
need more specificity but each draft seemed to get better  and some of the
worrying loose 'partnership' language started to disappear..  We were
 hoping that the final  document could  be something we could heartedly
support and use.

*So we are sad to see the new text in Para 56 bis that could negate this  -
by enshrining everything that industry wants - ** the promotion of voluntary
pledges,  inappropriate partnerships and inappropriate  involvement in
'guidance.'  *   The paragraph proposes a  new N*on-Communicable Prevention
and Control Diseases Partnership * that is supposed to  *“guide actions and
assess progress achieved in realizing voluntary commitments by all
stakeholders in the prevention and control of NCDs, as well as engaging in
advocacy.”  *

This is in direct contradiction to the recommendations that 126 NGOs have
made in the  Statement of concern on lack of clarity on role of
industry<http://info.babymilkaction.org/sites/info.babymilkaction.org/files/COI%20126.pdf>
. The NGOs are wide-ranging and actively working on diabetes, cancer,
alcohol, nutrition, tobacco, access to medicine, midwifery and paediatrics.
All are calling on the UN to address conflicts of interest and establish a
proper process  to guide interactions with the private sector.   All  are
asking for  policy development to be free from and uncompromised by the
obvious conflicts of interests associated with the food alcohol, beverage
and other industries:  The latest list is here: *
http://info.babymilkaction.org/node/458)*

*Please contact your MS about this and demand that conflicts of interest are
 not institutionalised as the norm.  It is vital that the UN, WHO and Member
Stated  are able to protect their independence and  integrity in decision
making and the safest way to safeguard this now  must surely be to integrate
good language on conflicts of interest into the Political Declaration.
*

*Here are our suggestions.  You will surely have more.  Please let me know
how you get on. *

*1* *DELETE 56 bis completely. Failing that amend as follows:*

([56 bis *Request the Secretary General to establish, no later than 2012, in
close consultation and collaboration with Member States, a Non-Communicable
Prevention and Control Diseases Partnership, consisting of led by Member
States, WHO and relevant UN agencies, involving  funds and programmes,
international financial institutions, the private sector,** civil society
organizations, foundations and research and academic institutions,  **while
ensuring avoiding conflicts of interest - **to guide actions and assess
progress achieved. in realizing voluntary commitments by all stakeholders in
the prevention and control of NCDs, as well as engaging in advocacy and
resource mobilization, taking into account experiences  from other
partnerships such as the Stop TB and Rollback Malaria Partnerships.
G77][Switzerland, Aust to come back, WHO leadership to be included][RF
reserve position] (Placement to be determined),*

*2* In Para 43 Ensure that there is a reference in the footnote or text  to
the WHA Resolution 63.14 and the WHO Recommendations on the marketing of
foods and non-alcoholic beverages to Children keeping the EU's
recommendation to . * "Ensure the implementation of a set of recommendations
to reduce the impact of marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to
children, while ensuring avoidance of potential conflicts of interest."* Making
sure to keep the text about conflicts of interest.

NB: Delete the last bit of text proposed by NZ in Para 40 qualt alt: *"working
in partnerships with food producers and manufacturers."*

Ensure that text does not simply *“Ensure responsible and accountable
marketing"*   This contradicts the WHO Recommendations which is  to
REDUCE exposure to marketing - rather than INCREASE it.   The food industry
considers all its marketing to be responsible.   (see also Tackling Obesity
- how companies use education to build Trust
http://info.babymilkaction.org/node/412 )

3 *Add a footnote reference to the International Code of Marketing of
Breastmilk Substitutes and Subsequent relevant WHA Resolutions* to Norway's
two recommendations on breastfeeding (  Pages 16 and 18 )

3 *Add a reference calling  on Codex Alimentarius  to  support rather than
undermine  the Global Diet Strategy. ** *
For a key example of how infant overweight is encouraged by trade rules see
the Codex 2006 Nutrition  meeting.   Thailand - supported by Norway - tried
to get  the permitted sugar levels  in the baby food Standard  lowered from
30% to 10% but was blocked by the EU and US.   Until this is fixed it will
be really difficult for countries to stop the import of high sugar baby
foods.  *http://www.ibfan.org/news-2006-eu_us.html*
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