Course date: 21 - 25 May 2012 Apply for this course The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, will host a one-week intensive short course on human rights  and access to medicines from 21 to 25 May 2012. Venue: Graduate Centre, University of Pretoria Main Campus

Programme

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About the course

The Human Rights and Access to Medicines course is presented by the Centre for Human Rights in conjunction with the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property at the American University Washington College of Law and is being sponsored by the Open Society Institute and UNDP.

The Human Rights and Access to Medicines Course will focus on the provision of information and skills-building exercises to enable civil society advocates to engage in legislation-drafting and constituent education to promote access to needed medicines in the region.
Specifically, the course will cover topics including:

• The economics of access to medicines in Africa;
• Human rights duties to promote access to medicines under the African Charter, including the recent NGO declaration on the Right to Health and Access to Medicines;
• The impact of multinational and bilateral trade agreements on access to medicines;
• Key "flexibilities" in international intellectual property and trade law, including examination of the "Doha Agreement on TRIPS and Public Health";
• The impact of "anti-counterfeit" legislation on access to needed to medicines, including examination of recent legislation in Kenya and multilateral forums;
• Mechanisms for countries to promote research and development into diseases and conditions that are neglected by the current IP-based incentive system, including recent deliberations in the World Health Organization’s Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on Public Health, Innovation, and Intellectual Property;
• The use of competition laws to restrain patent monopolies and promote access to more affordable medicines, including recent cases from the South Africa Competition Commission;
• Mechanisms to negotiate and regulate the prices of medicines on national and regional levels, including proposals for regional purchasing pools.

This course will be taught through participatory methodologies that emphasize exercises and role plays to better enable practical application of the course materials. Specific exercises and instruction will focus on building useful advocacy skills including:

• Drafting legislation;
• Reviewing your country’s patent, competition and other legislation;
• Asking questions of ministers and other officials to research and monitor policy making;
• Participating in public forums;

The course is aimed at senior-level governmental and intergovernmental officials, leaders of civil society, staff and managers of NGO's as well as academics and other interested parties. This course will particularly relevant for government officials in trade, health and competition ministries that deal with medicine pricing and intellectual property issues.