The resolution recognising that access to medicines is one of the fundamental elements in achieving progressively the full realisation of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
The resolution also stresses the responsibility of States to ensure access for all, without discrimination, to medicines and urges States to ensure that procurement practices and procedures for medicines are transparent, fair, competitive and non-discriminatory.
It also encourages states to foster the development of technology and the voluntary transfer of technology to developing countries and to apply measures and procedures for enforcing intellectual property rights in such a manner as to avoid creating barriers to the legitimate trade of affordable, safe, efficacious and quality medicines, and to provide for safeguards against the abuse of such measures and procedures.
Brazil, introducing resolution, said that the resolution on access to medicines in the context of the right to health was inspired by the study presented by the Special Rapporteur on existing challenges and ways to overcome them. Access to medicines was one of the fundamental elements in the realisation of the right to health. The resolution reminded all of the challenges they still faced in that domain and proposed a number of solutions to existing problems.
Resolution A/HRC/23/L.10/Rev.1, access to medicines in the context of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, was adopted by a vote of 31 in favor, none against and 16 abstentions.
The countries which abstained are Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Montenegro, Poland, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, and United States.
Look out for a commentary by the IAHPC on ehospice tomorrow.
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