Media Releases

Community groups from Indo Pacific countries call for release of texts as IPEF negotiators meet in South Korea

MEDIA RELEASE July 6, 2023

AFTINET today joins sixteen organisations from Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF)* countries calling for more transparency in IPEF negotiations between Australia, the US and 12 Indo Pacific countries taking place in Busan, South Korea from July 8.

Australia and the UK agree not to apply ISDS in Trans-Pacific deal but Clive Palmer’s $300 bn claim shows more needed to prevent cases against Australia

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                  Tuesday April 4, 2023

Australia and the UK agree not to apply ISDS in Trans-Pacific deal but Clive Palmer’s $300 bn claim shows more needed to prevent cases against Australia

Government urged to support equitable global access to medicines at WHO Pandemic Treaty meeting

Media Release  February 27, 2023

World Health Organisation (WHO) member governments will meet in Geneva this evening AEDT to start debating a draft Pandemic Treaty intended to learn from the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic and develop better strategies for future pandemics, to be completed in 2024.

Leading public health, fair trade, church, human rights and aid and development organisations have written to the Ministers responsible for Health, Foreign Affairs and Trade asking them not to repeat the “catastrophic moral failure” of inequitable global access to COVID vaccines, treatments and tests. The letter is attached. Quotes from organisation leaders are below.

Community groups slam delay on TRIPS waiver inclusion of Covid-19 treatments and tests

Media Release December 15, 2022: The same dynamics that slowed and watered down the decision on the initial TRIPS waiver at the World Trade Organization (WTO) now look likely to prevent a timely decision on expanding the waiver to cover treatments and tests. Calls for an extension to the original deadline of 17 December 2022 being led by the EU, Switzerland, Japan and the UK have been slammed by an alliance of health, human rights and fair-trade organisations.

Over 380 civil society organisations demand world governments quit ISDS as Australia pledges to do so

Sharm El-Sheikh, 16 November 2022 – More than 380 civil society organisations from over 60 countries across the world, including AFTINET, are calling on governments to put an end to a system of secretive tribunals which threaten global climate goals at the CCOP 27 Climate Change Conference.

Civil society groups say WTO decision on COVID-19 monopolies is weak and unworkable

Media Release                                                                                                      June 17, 2022

After nearly two years of delay, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference has produced a weak decision on COVID-19 medicine monopolies which covers only vaccines, excludes non-patent intellectual property barriers, and contains restrictions which are more onerous than some existing WTO rules. This condemns the world’s most vulnerable people to inequitable access to vaccines and treatments. They will continue to die in greater numbers than those lucky enough to live in high income countries.

Media Release: Civil society groups urge new government to support strong action on COVID-19 medicine monopolies at WTO meeting

6 June, 2022: Civil society groups say a new draft text supported by the EU should be rejected because it covers only vaccines, excluding treatments and tests. It also fails to address all forms of intellectual property, restricts the countries which can make use of it, and has onerous requirements which are worse than existing WTO rules

Media Release: Community groups ask ALP government for public consultation as US launches Indo-Pacific Economic Forum

May 24, 2022: US President Joe Biden yesterday launched the Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), involving the US, Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Others may join later.

Pages