Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I will be speaking today on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The department's involvement in Canada's Access to Medicines Regime is in two areas: the first is the World Trade Organization and the second is the foreign relations aspects.
With me to answer any questions relating to foreign policy aspects is my colleague Mr. Fry who works in the Human Security and Human Rights Branch.
Many of the WTO aspects have been covered by my colleague from Industry Canada in his presentation, so I think I'll concentrate on one thing that has happened since the waiver was adopted.
When the waiver was adopted, it was, in essence, perceived as a temporary solution. Some waivers in the WTO can last forever, but it was perceived as a temporary solution. Therefore, the members decided to make a more permanent solution, and on December 6, 2005, the WTO members agreed to transform the August 2003 decision, the waiver, into a permanent amendment.
In essence, this amendment transposes the contents of the waiver without changing the major elements. This amendment will take effect after two-thirds of the WTO members have accepted it. They have until December 1 of this year to do so, but the deadline may be extended if necessary. I should stress that the waiver will remain in force until the amendment comes into effect, so it will be a seamless transition.
Canada strongly welcomed the amendment decision as positively demonstrating how WTO members can work together to respond to the needs of developing and least developed countries. We remain committed to working with other WTO members to ensure its acceptance by the December deadline.
Let me turn now to other programs and initiatives to assist developing countries in dealing with health issues.
Canada is committed to assisting developing countries in dealing with health issues and CAMR is just one of the tools used to achieve this objective. While we are talking today about CAMR, it might be useful for the committee to be aware of the breadth of other programs and initiatives.
I'll summarize these.
At the June 2006 UN high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS, Canada committed, along with other member states, to support efforts to move toward universal access to HIV prevention, care, treatment, and support by the year 2010.
The G-8 has also been a consistent and strong supporter of this goal. At the July 2006 St. Petersburg summit, G-8 leaders recognized that improved access to means of prevention, treatment, and care in many countries is essential to curbing infectious diseases. Leaders also noted the possibility for WTO members to use the flexibility set out in the waiver decision.
In addition, the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is outlined in numerous UN human rights instruments, including the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. While that covenant requires each state party to promote the right to health for its own citizens, there is no interstate obligation to protect the right in other countries, and while all international development assistance, including health-related assistance, is a moral and not a legal obligation, Canada has been a major donor to health-related initiatives in the developing world.
In additional to strong political engagement, Canada also supports a wide range of organizations and activities that help promote global health, many of which address the access to medicines issue. Chris Armstrong, my colleague from CIDA, will give you more details on these shortly in his presentation.
Thank you for the opportunity to address the committee.