GLOBAL PETITION ON ACCESS TO MEDICINES & TRADE

[Guest guest]

UPDATE - GLOBAL PETITION ON ACCESS TO MEDICINES & TRADE

Health Before Wealth - Demand the World Trade Organisation Changes its

Patent Rules

The Oxfam - Third World Network - Health Gap Coalition global petition on

world trade rules and access to medicines was temporarily suspended last

week due to concerns that it may have been viewed as insensitive following

the September 11th terrorist attacks in the US.

The petition has now been re-focused to take these sensitivities into

account while continuing to focus on the same goal -demonstrating the

strength of global public concern about World Trade Organisation (WTO)

patent rules that put the profits of powerful drug companies before public

health in poor countries.

The revised petition is live on the internet NOW at

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/health

and will run through till November when it will be presented to the WTO at its

meeting in Qatar. The petition calls on WTO members, in particular the United

States, to demonstrate their commitment to put health before wealth by changing

and clarifying global patent rules at the forthcoming WTO summit conference.

To achieve mass support for the revised petition we rely on the support of

individuals and organisations across the world.

As an individual you can support the campaign by signing the petition

online now at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/health and by telling all your

friends and colleagues to do the same!

Your organisation can also support the global petition in one or more of

the following ways:

1. Advertise and put a link to the petition on your website - the petition

page is at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/health

2. Circulate details of the petition to member organisations, alliances and

networks

3. Encourage supporters to sign the petition and encourage member organisations

and alliances to promote the petition to their supporters or partners

4. Endorse the petition by sending your organisations name and contact

details to amitchell@.... We will display the names of all

organisations that endorse the petition on the petition site.

A variety of resources have been produced to help promote the petition

including campaign banner adverts or logo's are available if you want make

your website link more visual. The adverts can be downloaded from the

petition site. To access the banner advert and for further information on

how to download it onto your own website go to http://www.oxfam.org.uk/health

and click on 'download'. A4 petition sheets for use 'offline' can also be

downloaded from the petition website.

I hope you and your organisation will be able to support the petition. If

you have any queries please contact at Oxfam GB on +44 1865

313198 or at amitchell@...

, Oxfam gb

Oxfam works with others to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering.

Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International, a company limited by guarantee and

registered in England No. 612172. Registered office: 274 Banbury Road, Oxford

OX2 7DZ. Registered charity No. 202918.

Visit the web site at http://www.oxfam.org.uk

___________________________________

, Oxfam gb

amitchell@...

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