An interesting piece from Ron Labonte, originally posted to the SDOH list.... > -----Original Message----- > From: Social Determinants of Health [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of > Dennis Raphael > Sent: July 7, 2005 7:13 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: [SDOH] PHA-Exchange> Re: Bangkok Charter - Action Needed! > > > From Ron Labonte... > ----------------------------------------- > Hello all. David forwarded this exchange to me. > > I'm a little less incensed about the Bangkok Charter than others might be. > Perhaps that's because I have grown cynical of such Charters and do not > believe they accomplish much. Human rights covenants could offer much more, > and even there they require mobilization and civil society agitation to be > useful tools for social change. So I would first question whether > word-smithing the Bangkok Charter is an important political activity. > > I'm also not sanguine about actually changing the tone of the document very > much at this late time, which factors into my comments above. > > However, that does not preclude the PHM from going on record with a > statement about what the Charter should actually contain. > > For me, the issue is less about whether or not globalization is good/bad or > should be made healthier/unhealthier. Treating the concept neutrally is > not > a bad strategy if one then wants to critique certain elements of it more > harshly. > > So, for the critique: > > Under the section, 'Health promotion in a globalizing world' I would add > something like: 'This commitment is evidenced in human rights treaties and > covenants, multilateral environmental agreements and specific health > agreements such as the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.' I'm not > sure of how to word what would follow, but it would need to emphasize the > importance of governments to honour these commitments. > > Under the section, 'Make globalization health friendly,' I think specific > reference to the right to health (Article 12, ICESCR) would be useful, and > something that re-committed governments to this right (and to such related > rights as the right to food, to water, etc.) and the fact that such rights > are superordinate to all other multilateral agreements, including trade > agreements. Best to draft this with a human rights expert? We might also > want to support Paul Hunt's call for creation of a 'right to health impact > assessment methodology' for trade agreements. This section is also where a > strong statement on the need to affirm the rights of indigenous peoples to > food security, land, traditional knowledge, etc. could be made. (Current > language on 'cultural diversity' seems a bit weak.) > > Other well-known policy options for making globalization health friendlier > include: > > Reform of trade agreements to discriminate positively in favour of economic > development of low- and middle-income countries (the principle of > non-reciprocity eliminated by the WTO but not regaining some policy > favour). > > Removal of economic conditionalities from development assistance or > loans/grants from the international financial institutions and other > development banks. > > Reform financial markets and international taxation systems to ensure > equitable cost-sharing of public programs and infrastructures amongst all > citizens and corporations. > > > I'm sure there are many others... > > Remove from the next two sections any reference to public-private > partnerships. If there is to be any reference, it should be to developing > legal frameworks to regulate them, not to promote them! > > Under the 'core responsibility of all governments' section, there should be > some reference to the need to support labour rights, nationally and > globally, by ensuring that ILO conventions are ratified and honoured. It's > amazing that corporations are discussed throughout, but not labour! > > Under the 'good corporate practices section,' also delete reference to> > collaboration with the public health care providers. This collaboration is > a matter of public policy, not private sector initiative! This is a good > place, too, to reiterate the need for corporations to support reforms to > create more equitable international (as well as national) taxation systems, > and to support binding rules on multinational corporate practices to ensure > a 'level playing field' for all in the increasingly integrated global > market. > > That's about all the time I have for a preliminary comment. I'd be > interested to hear from others whether they think this is an important > intervention point. I'd also be willing to review a statement that > (perhaps > Kumanan? Or some other?) might be willing/able to prepare for a quick PHA > e-mail review, that could be sent to WHO prior to the July 14 deadline. > > Cheers. > > > _____________ > > Ronald Labonte > Canada Research Chair, Globalization/Health Equity > Institute of Population Health > Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, > Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa > Address: > Institute of Population Health > 1 Stewart Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada > K1N 6N5 > ph: (613) 562-5800 ext.2288 > fax: (613) 562-5659 > cell: (613) 796-1668 > e-mail: [log in to unmask] > web: www.iph.uottawa.ca > > Send the following text: unsubscribe click4hp to: [log in to unmask] if you wish to unsubscribe. Go to http://listserv.yorku.ca/archives/click4hp.html to view CLICK4HP archives or manage your subscription (you will have to create a password).