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We, the undersigned individuals and organisations, …
… acknowledging the importance of the World Congress on Public Health in supporting PH research, education and practice;
… welcoming the position of the WFPHA in standing for social justice;
… recognising the emphasis on the social determinants of health placed by this conference;
… honouring the huge efforts of the organising committee;
… being fully aware of the fact that funding is needed to host this Congress and understanding that public funding was not enough;
nevertheless, have major concerns regarding the applied sponsoring practice, which has resulted in:
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first, co-sponsorship of this Congress by transnational corporations, whose practices cause harm to people’s health and which work towards the privatization and commercialisation of global public goods. These include: pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, whose pursuit of excessive profit results in inequitable access to medicines and contradicts the right to health; and Nestlé, which contrary to scientific evidence of the harmful effects of breast milk substitutes, especially in poor communities, continues to aggressively promote their products notwithstanding an international code developed by WHO on the marketing of breast milk substitutes.
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second, the hosting of sessions by the above mentioned commercial companies, which are nothing more than blatant marketing events masquerading as “scientific” sessions.
In order to resolve these concerns, we strongly call upon the Board of the WFPHA to undertake the following actions:
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ensure transparency, by disclosing the full conditions and agreements by which all commercial companies were involved in the organization and funding of the Congress, with particular attention to declaring all possible conflicts of interest;
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adopt as soon as possible an ethical code of conduct on sponsorship for all future Congresses, that will protect the independence and scientific integrity of the WFPHA;
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promote and encourage a greater reliance on public and private non-for-profit funding for WFPHA events;
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reduce the expenses of the Congress by avoiding luxury venues: this will reduce the reliance on private sponsorship, allow for greater attendance by public health practitioners and students, and result in a smaller ecological footprint.
We thank you for your attention to these issues and hope that you can consider their inclusion in the Congress final declaration.
Fırst subscrıbers:
Kayvan Bozorgmehr, Medical Student, University of Frankfurt (Germany); Dr. Chiara Bodini, Centre for International and Intercultural Health, University of Bologna (Italy); Dr. Ardigo’ Martino, Centre for International and Intercultural Health, University of Bologna (Italy); Prof. David Sanders, School of Public Health University of the Western Cape, Cape Town (SA); Dr. Davıd Mc Coy, Centre for International Health and Development, University College London (UK)
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