Drugs deal good – now let’s tackle subsidies, says Commonwealth Secretary-General
30 August 2003
"The deal on affordable drugs reached in Geneva is a positive development. It will not only open the door for poor countries to get anti-AIDS, malaria and other vital medicines cheaply; it also clears the way for progress on the Doha Development Round", Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon said today.He emphasised, however, that these high expectations will depend in large measure on how the statement of understanding is interpreted and implemented. In particular, the agreement should improve access for poor countries to life-saving drugs to tackle malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
The Secretary-General pointed out that this was only a first step. Referring to the meeting of the World Trade Organisation next month, Mr McKinnon said:
"The meeting in Cancún will be the stage for a major battle over agricultural subsidies. Let us hope that the big players - the US, Europe and Japan - realise that it is in their own interest as well as that of the rest of the world to phase out these subsidies. Millions of people around the world stand to gain if a deal is clinched. But another fudge will only keep the poor hungry and strengthen the perception that the international trade system does not serve the interests of developing countries."
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- Commonwealth ICT SummitBetty Mould Iddrisu, Director, Legal and Constitutional Affairs
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