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The G8 and Global Health

In recent years, the G8 has become more concerned with non-economic issues such as global health. As a result, the G8 has endorsed or initiated a number of policies that address acute health problems in the world. Criticisms of G8 actions in the area of global health center on the following:

• The Global Health Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
• Pharmaceutical Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights

The Global Health Fund

At the 2001 Genoa Summit, the G8 endorsed a Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. As part of that endorsement, the G8:

• Committed $1.3 billion to the Fund
• Outlined the Fund as a “private-public partnership”

While supporting the Global Health Fund idea, critics have been quick to point out the problems with the G8’s implementation of the Fund. The Alberta Council for Global Cooperation outlines the following weaknesses:

• The $1.3 billion pledged by the G8 falls well short of the funds needed to make a difference in global health. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has stated that the minimum necessary for an effective Fund is $7 billion per year.
• The Fund may not be very effective if it is dependent upon participation and contributions by private corporations.
• The Fund does not address fundamental issues such as the debt problem and the need to strengthen the healthcare systems and infrastructure in poor countries.

Pharmaceutical Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights

Under pharmaceutical trade related intellectual property rights (TRIPS), patents on new drugs and medicines last 20 years from the date of the patent application. Companies in G8 countries hold most of the drug patents in the world. When a drug has a patent, poor countries cannot introduce less expensive generic copies. Therefore, many people in developing countries cannot afford the medication that they need.

In 2002, the World Trade Organization (WTO) met in Doha, Qatar, to discuss pharmaceutical TRIPS. The Doha Declaration provided for the following:

• Health issues take precedence over intellectual property rights.
• Countries may license domestically produced generic drugs in case of emergencies.
• Least Developed Countries may delay the implementation of pharmaceutical TRIPS until 2016.

While recognizing the importance of the Doha Declaration, many critics suggest that it could have provided more. The Alberta Council for Global Cooperation points to the following weaknesses:

• Countries that do not have a domestic manufacturing capacity still do not have access to generic drugs in emergencies.
• The Declaration is not legally binding.
• The Declaration does not address fundamental, long-term issues related to inexpensive access to pharmaceuticals.

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G8 and Africa

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