PHM-Exch> Joint PHM Statement to 65th WHA on Nutrition

[Heba Wanis]

*Statement by CMC/PHM at WHA65 on Nutrition (Item 13.3) delivered by Meike
Schleiff of the People’s Health Movement* Thank you, Chair, for the
opportunity to address the distinguished members of the WHA on behalf of
Churches Action for Health and the People's Health Movement. There is a lot
which is good in the draft comprehensive implementation plan (CIP) and we
welcome many of the components of the plan at the country level. However,
the plan fails to deal with the challenge of building a regulatory
framework to regulate transnational agribusiness and food corporations at
global and country level. The commercial interests of transnational
agribusiness, food corporations and retailers play a powerful role in
shaping nutrition and malnutrition through marketing and through price
relativities. The challenge of regulation must be faced. Meanwhile new
provisions for investor state dispute settlement being inserted into
preferential trade agreements provide transnational corporations with
powerful new defenses against regulation at both the national and
international levels. This has been clearly demonstrated in the attack by
Big Tobacco on the plain packaging policies of Uruguay and Australia.
Resolution WHA59.26 mandates the WHO to work with MS to achieve coherence
across trade and health policies. This must be utilised. Nutrition needs to
be understood in the context of food security (and insecurity). More than
200 million hectares of land have been sold, mainly to transnational
companies, mainly in Africa, over the past decade with widespread
displacement of small producers. Meanwhile the diversion of land and grain
from food to biofuels is contributing to rising food prices and
jeopardising food security and nutrition. The stalemate in the Doha
Development Round in the WTO leaves in place agricultural policies which
have been highly detrimental to small producers in many countries. WHO
cannot address the issues of trade and the regulation of transnational
industry alone but it can take a pro-active stance in working with other
competent intergovernmental bodies. Thank you, Chair.


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 Heba Wanis
Project Coordinator
Democratising Global Health Governance
People's Health Movement
Global Secretariat Office, Cairo

Tel:   +2 022 268 22 78
Mob: +20 122 314 0318 (Egypt)
        +41 7677 07800 (Switzerland)
Web: www.phmovement.org
         www.ghwatch.org
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