Health Care Archives

USCIB Calls for Business Engagement on World Health at HHS

Published on May 8, 2015

health_care_globe_lo-resAhead of the World Health Assembly later this month where the World Health Organization (WHO) will deliberate on its Framework for Engagement with Non-State Actors, USCIB attended a stakeholder listening session at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in D.C. to urge the United States government to fight against business discrimination in the WHO’s framework.

Helen Medina, USCIB’s vice president for product policy and innovation, spoke at an HHS listening session held to solicit knowledge, ideas and feedback from all stakeholders – including private industry – as the U.S. positions itself to negotiate with other countries at the upcoming World Health Assembly.

USCIB previously stated its concern that the proposed WHO Framework for Engagement with Non-State Actors is too stringent, as it would limit the WHO’s ability to fully benefit from the private sector’s practical expertise, resources and research. The sheer scale of global health challenges, such as the recent Ebola crises and the growing incidences of non-communicable diseases which are responsible for 60 percent of the world’s premature deaths, require everyone to be on board to address world health, including business.

“We must bring forward and catalyze partnerships that connect across what many call the ‘Golden Triangle’ of business, government and civil society,” Medina said at the HHS listening session. “For this reason, we are extremely concerned about aspects of the recently proposed Framework. As currently drafted, it will undermine the ‘Golden Triangle’ concept by discriminating against and even banning business.”

USCIB called on American negotiators headed to the World Health Assembly to consider the following messages:

  • The WHO framework should not explicitly ban industry sectors or tread industry NGOs differently from others
  • It should apply the same rules of transparency to address conflict of interest for all non-state actors
  • And it should not discriminate against or reclassify organizations that cooperate with business

Read Medina’s remarks.

USCIB Adds Business Voice in Fight Against NCDs

Published on February 11, 2015

WHO_hq_lo-resUSCIB submitted comments to the World Health Organization (WHO) on February 6 stressing the role business plays in combating malnutrition and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs are responsible for over 60 percent of the world’s premature deaths, according to the WHO.

Last year the WHO established the Global Coordination Mechanism on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, an intergovernmental body designed to coordinate activities and multi-stakeholder engagement across sectors as the WHO works toward implementing an Action Plan on NCDs.

“We believe that the private sector has a legitimate role to play in working with the WHO, its Members States and civil society to curb NCDs,” wrote Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director for product policy and innovation in a submission co-signed by the International Organization of Employers, “and it wants to be part of the solution.”

The submission noted that all companies have an interest in ensuring they have a healthy and resilient workforce, and for that reason the private sector must be included in policy discussions about how to best address NCDs. USCIB reiterated its messages that self-regulation can play a constructive role, public-private partnerships are an effective response to global health challenges and taxes on various foods and beverages have negative, unintended consequences, especially for societies’ poorest consumers.

The submission also included examples from USCIB member companies of business initiatives aimed at improving global health, such as The Coca-Cola Company’s support of the “Exercise is Medicine” program, which encourages doctors to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients. Also, Nestlé’s Healthy Kids Global Program is a partnership initiative aimed at raising nutrition knowledge and promoting physical activity among school-age children. The program reached almost seven million children in 68 countries at the end of 2013. And Pfizer has supported a pilot project in China called “Healthy Heart – New Life,” focused on developing work-related healthcare services to address chronic disease.

 

USCIB Urges WHO to Take Full Advantage of Private-Sector Engagement

Published on January 22, 2015
World Health Organization Headquarters, Geneva.
World Health Organization Headquarters, Geneva.

The sheer scale of global health challenges, such as the recent Ebola crises and the growing incidences of non-communicable diseases which are responsible for 60 percent of the world’s premature deaths, require everyone to be on board to address world health.

The World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations public health arm, recently issued a framework document on its engagement with non-state actors, the “NSA Framework”. USCIB and other associations are concerned that the framework is too stringent, as it would limit the WHO’s ability to fully benefit from the private sector’s practical expertise, resources and research.

Joining six other business associations whose memberships span every sector in every region of the world, USCIB signed a letter to U.S. Department of State officials highlighting the importance of strengthening private sector engagement with the WHO. The NSA Framework suggests that close engagement with the private sector would lead to conflicts of interest. Such concern is misplaced, as USCIB’s letter states:

“[T]he NSA Framework suggests that WHO engagement of private sector actors raises a unique potential for conflicts of interest, a premise that disregards the wide set of motives, including financial incentives, that drive NGO activity. In truth, engagement of for-profit entities and their representatives carries with it an inherent degree of transparency of interests that is not necessarily available regarding the motivations and interests of NGOs. Just as importantly, an examination of the motives of non-state actors is simply not necessary to an evidence-based review of the facts those actors may raise to the WHO’s attention.”

BusinessEurope, an association representing businesses in the European Union, sent a letter to EU representatives expressing similar concerns about the WHO’s NSA Framework.

Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for international engagement, energy and environment, added: “In an era where health crises become increasingly international, such as the recent Ebola outbreak, the WHO can only make full use of its leadership and resources by making global health responses a multi-stakeholder initiative in which the private sector has a vital role going forward.”

Business Spearheads High-Level Discussion on NCDs Prevention

Published on July 11, 2014
(L-R) Mike Wisheart (World Vision International), Mario Ottiglio (IFPMA), Kim Fortunato (Campbell Soup Company), Jean-Michel Borys (EPODE), Cary Adams (NCD Alliance), Louise Kantrow (ICC), Peter Robinson (USCIB)
(L-R) Mike Wisheart (World Vision International), Mario Ottiglio (IFPMA), Kim Fortunato (Campbell Soup Company), Jean-Michel Borys (EPODE), Cary Adams (NCD Alliance), Louise Kantrow (ICC), Peter Robinson (USCIB)

The world’s worst killers – non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as obesity, heart disease and many cancers – are responsible for over 60 percent of premature deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

NCDs diminish economic growth and sap productivity among working age populations, since these diseases affect adults in their prime. NCDs also push households into poverty and disproportionately affect low-income countries, where the diseases strike younger populations and place great strains on already overburdened healthcare systems.

Despite these grave threats, NCDs are largely preventable by mobilizing governments, civil society and the private sector to craft sound public health policies. Governments alone struggle to manage NCDs because the diseases drive up healthcare costs and divert scarce resources from other areas that need them. Given the strain the NCD epidemic places on national healthcare systems, the United Nations 66th World Health Assembly reiterated a call for member states to consider interventions across many segments of society for NCDs prevention and control. Part of the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda aims to scale up multi-stakeholder responses to NCDs.

It is under this backdrop that USCIB and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) organized a meeting on July 11 hosted by Pfizer that explored how public-private partnerships can be leveraged to combat the NCD epidemic. USCIB and the ICC are the only private sector organizations representing business that interface with the United Nations on NCD prevention at a multistakeholder level. The public-private partnership discussion took place during the UN High-Level Meeting to review progress achieved in the fight against the NCD epidemic in the context of the post-2015 development agenda.

Panelists at the pubic-private partnership event included Cary Adams, CEO of the Union for International Cancer Control and chair of the NCD Alliance; Jean-Michel Borys, general secretary of the EPODE International Network; Kim Fortunato, director of Campbell Healthy Communities at the Campbell Soup Company; Mario Ottiglio, director of public affairs and global health policy at the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA); and Mike Wisheart, senior advisor of corporate engagement, advocacy and justice for children at World Vision International. The discussion was moderated by Louise Kantrow, ICC’s permanent representative to the United Nations.

A dozen government officials attended the event, including Ambassador Courtenay Rattray, the Jamaican ambassador to the United Nations and co-chair of the UN General Assembly meeting on NCDs. Ambassador Rattray is also the co-facilitator of the outcome document on the review and assessment of NCDs. The event drew dozens of NGO, civil society and private sector representatives as well.

Following welcoming remarks by USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson, panelists explained that a multistakeholder approach is necessary to address the epidemic, with Adams noting that “partnerships are the only way we can address these things called NCDs.”

Borys and others agreed that all of civil society’s stakeholders need to take charge at the global, regional and local levels to combat childhood obesity and other forms of non-communicable diseases, and that global coordination mechanisms are key for making the most out of public-private partnerships.

“This group of industry representatives understood that business can only survive in societies that flourish,” Kantrow said referring to the panelists, “they understand the importance of thriving in successful societies.”

Since the UN called on the global community to address the NCD epidemic in 2012, public-private partnerships addressing NCDs have more than doubled, according to Ottiglio. He presented the findings of an IFPMA global survey, which revealed that NCD public-private partnerships have increased and are present virtually everywhere around the world. Ottiglio said that IFPMA “reaches three million people worldwide through a strong volunteer network in 189 countries” committed to combating NCDs.

During the discussion, Fortunato offered a case study of the Campbell’s philanthropic work in Camden, N.J., where childhood obesity is high. She stressed the importance of collective partnering, which is the cornerstone of Campbell’s corporate philanthropy program, as well as committing to a collective impact model in which private companies work with all levels of government to address NCDs.

Multi-stakeholder involvement was a recurring theme during the discussion, with Wisheart explaining that “we need actors from all sectors of civil society,” and “we want to see more partnerships, working at greater speed, having greater impact. To address the trust issues that sometimes arise with public-private partnerships, Wisheart noted that the best way to manage partnerships risks is to ensure there are strong accountability mechanisms that increase the space for collaboration.

Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director of product policy and innovation, concluded: “The private sector understands the urgency needed to address non-communicable diseases and has an interest in curbing them for a variety of reasons, including having productive employees providing products and technical support to manage NCDs, and sustaining a long-term relationship with the communities in which it works. At the end of the day, it makes economic sense for business to be involved in curbing NCDs, and it’s extremely important for social and economic development.”

Staff contacts: Louise Kantrow and Helen Medina

More on USCIB’s Health Care Working Group

BIAC Holds Health Care Policy Task Force Meeting

Published on July 1, 2014

Members of the Business and Industry Advisory Council (BIAC) to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) met in Paris to prepare for the Consultation with the OECD Health Committee on June 23. USCIB is BIAC’s American affiliate.

BIAC delegates discussed ways to promote a proactive agenda in health policy with the OECD, and members identified policy priorities in the field of health for the upcoming 2015-16 biennium.

At the bi-annual OECD Consultation with BIAC and the Trade Union Advisory Committee on June 23, Nicole Denjoy, the chair of the BIAC Health Care Policy Task Force, called for a more integrated way of engaging with the OECD Health Committee and for the participation of BIAC delegates to the plenary sessions of the OECD Health Committee.

Staff contact: Helen Medina

More on USCIB’s Health Care Committee

USCIB Helps Prepare for Global Nutrition Conference

Published on May 21, 2014

4739_image001More than half the world’s population is adversely affected by malnutrition, which undermines economic growth and perpetuates poverty. For this reason, nutrition continues to be high on the international agenda and an important topic of the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda.

The Second International Conference on Nutrition, which will take place November 19-21 in Rome, will contribute to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s call for a high degree of policy coherence at global, regional, national and sub-national levels, and a global partnership for development at all levels.

According to Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director for product policy and innovation, the conference will review progress made towards improving nutrition since 1992, reflect on remaining nutrition problems – as well as on the new challenges and opportunities for improving nutrition presented by changes in the global economy, in food systems, and by advances in science and technology. Participants will seek to identify policy options for improving nutrition.

“While governments can pursue policies to encourage solutions to malnutrition, USCIB continues to point out that the private sector is also an important actor to implementing those policies,” Medina said.

To underscore the importance of the private sector in issues related to nutrition and the agriculture sector in general, Medina was in Rome last week to meet with U.S. and foreign government officials at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The meeting included a discussion with the Committee on Food Security’s Chair, Ambassador Gerda Verburg of the Netherlands. The second day of meetings featured dialogues with 48 different country representatives including the African Regional Group, the Near East Group, Russia, the European Union, Denmark, Iceland, Japan, Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina.

As a delegate in these groups, Medina  was able to advocate for business and industry participation at the upcoming International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2). She also highlighted that ICN2 should recognize the private sector’s contributions to improved nutrition through innovative products, scientific and technological know-how, and improved production and management practices. USCIB also advocates for the following:

  • Developing the economy, including promoting women’s role in the economy, is important.
  • The private sector can play a critical role in further strengthening markets, spurring economic growth and improving livelihoods.

In addition to these meetings, Medina delivered a statement on behalf of the private sector on “food waste”. During her intervention on this topic, Medina emphasized that the private sector has an objective to reduce waste in order to reap the greatest potential from limited input resources. In addition, any actions for addressing food waste or loss are directed towards the entire food chain, rather than isolated parts.

Innovation should also be encouraged since innovative technologies or solutions are of value, she said. Global initiatives for addressing food waste or loss should be adapted to local circumstances. Consumers need to be educated about food waste and loss, especially in schools and by government-driven campaigns regarding proper storage and preparation of food, as well as by the interpretation of “best before” and “use by” labels. Governments should encourage private investment and public-private partnerships in improving infrastructure and storage facilities, especially in developing countries. However, this requires an enabling environment for investment.

Finally, Medina emphasized that closer linkages between farmers and processors, particularly in developing countries, must be fostered; thus governments can create a better environment to provide investment in the food industry so that local farmers can address supply chain issues. Meanwhile, ensuring trade and market access is efficient and effective to get food to where it is needed.

USCIB members attending the meeting included McDonald’s and Monsanto.

 

Staff contact: Helen Medina

 

More on USCIB’s Health Care Working Group

More on USCIB’s Food and Agriculture Working Group

USCIB Is Gearing Up for This Year’s Big UN Nutrition Conference

Published on March 21, 2014

foodsThe Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) will take place from November 19 to 21 in Rome with the participation of heads of state and government. Organized by two UN specialized agencies, the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, the event will address major nutrition challenges over the coming decades.

According to Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director of product policy and innovation, the conference is expected to result in a concise, action-oriented outcome document, identifying public policy priorities at the national and global levels to address malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity, with a view to achieving agreed global nutrition targets by 2025.

“This will be a watershed event, the first high-level intergovernmental conference on nutrition since the First International Conference on Nutrition was organized by FAO and WHO in 1992,” Medina said. “That conference resulted in a World Declaration and Plan of Action for Nutrition which called on governments to take action toward improved nutrition at the national level, and to establish institutional infrastructure to implement these plans.” She said two documents are expected to come out of the ICN2: a high-level outcome document and a more detailed framework of action for its implementation.

Fostering the private sector’s contributions to improved nutrition

Medina attended last year’s technical meeting that lay the groundwork for the conference. This year, USCIB continues its involvement in the preparations for ICN2, including by highlighting how the private sector is contributing to nutrition through the FAO online consultation on the draft outcome document. Click here to read USCIB’s comments.

In its comments, USCIB recommended that the document recognize the private sector’s contributions to improved nutrition through innovative products, scientific and technological know-how, and improved production and management practices. These can all be increasingly harnessed through effective partnerships with research institutions, farmers, policy-makers and civil society, USCIB said.

Furthermore, the private sector can play a critical role in further strengthening markets, spurring economic growth and improving livelihoods, USCIB said. The comments observed that, while private-sector involvement is critical, there is also a need for government collaboration, particularly in helping to ensure sensible policies, such as reducing barriers to trade, that do not impede the private sector’s potential contributions to the shared societal goal of improved nutrition.

Staff contact: Helen Medina

More on USCIB’s Health Care Working Group

More on USCIB’s Food and Agriculture Working Group

WHO Urged to Improve Consultation With the Private Sector

Published on March 22, 2013
WHO headquarters in Geneva
WHO headquarters in Geneva

USCIB is joining with other industry groups in urging the World Health Organization to improve its procedures for engaging with the business community and other stakeholders.

In February, as part of a broader reform effort, WHO’s executive board decided to conduct public, Web-based consultations on draft principles and policies of engagement with non-state actors.

“USCIB is pleased that WHO is now undertaking this process to consider how to engage with the private sector and other stakeholders,” said Helen Medina, USCIB’s director of product policy.

“In spite of the contributions that business makes to health care innovation, and the impacts of WHO norms and standards on business, WHO has traditionally maintained limited options for business observer organizations.”

WHO is the lead organization for health policy matters within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

Reflecting on decades of experience in undertaking proactive engagement with other intergovernmental bodies, including in the areas of environmental affairs and product policy, USCIB encouraged WHO to follow the lead of other UN agencies in better integrating business views into its deliberations.

In its submission, USCIB noted that the private sector is highly diverse in terms of industries, company size and geographical location. Given the wide array of issues addressed by WHO, USCIB said it is essential to provide business and industry adequate representation in order to enable broad and deep engagement across the private sector.

Business and industry is vested in good outcomes for society and human health, USCIB said, and it plays an important role in addressing global health priorities. The private sector can harness its expertise to innovate, research and provide solutions in areas related to health and wellbeing. Business’s commercial activities generate employment, tax revenue and other important resources for societal and individual well-being.

USCIB said the WHO should strive for transparency, engage with business and industry as part of civil society, and take the private sector’s science-based views into account.

At the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, UN member states agreed that sustainable development could not be achieved by governments alone. Engagement with business and industry, along with other important societal interests, is a recognized feature of many other UN bodies.

USCIB will continue to work with its industry partners to encourage WHO to follow the lead of other UN bodies in engaging business and other groups in a transparent and consistent manner, respecting good governance and transparency, and avoiding conflicts of interest.

USCIB’s comments were submitted alongside those of other industry groups, including the International Organization of Employers (part of USCIB’s global network), CropLife International, the Global Alcohol Producers Group, the International Food and Beverage Alliance, and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations.

Staff contacts: Helen Medina and Norine Kennedy

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

More on USCIB’s Product Policy Working Group

Business Applauds UN High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases

Published on September 26, 2011

4161_image002USCIB and its affiliate the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) said the world business community strongly supports the outcome of the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases, which took place September 19-20 in New York.

USCIB and ICC representatives said businesses have an interest in curbing non-communicable diseases for a variety of reasons, including having productive employees, providing products, medicines, services, and technical support to manage NCDs, and sustaining a beneficial long-term relationship within the communities where they operate.

“Business understands that NCDs are a societal matter, and therefore require whole-of-society and whole-of-government solutions,” said Louise Kantrow, ICC’s permanent representative to the United Nations.  “All companies have an interest in ensuring they have a healthy and resilient workforce, and we welcome the UN’s work on this issue and look forward to taking an active part in continuing the fight against NCDs.”

Industry has taken concrete actions to combat NCDs that include global public commitments to address food reformulation, consumer information, responsible marketing, promotion of healthier lifestyles, and public-private partnerships.  In fact, cooperative relationships with industry have already led to many favorable outcomes related to diet and physical activity.

There are ongoing initiatives by the food industry to reduce the fat, sugar, and salt content of processed foods and portion sizes, to increase introduction of innovative, healthier and nutritious choices.  Industry is also partnering with governments and nongovernmental organizations to encourage more active, healthier lifestyles, including working to reduce alcohol abuse, which have contributed to health gains worldwide.

USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson said the global business community welcomed the outcomes of the UN High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases as well as future engagement with the United Nations on this important societal issue.  “A multi-stakeholder approach is clearly needed to effectively curb NCDs,” he said.  “The private sector will continue to play its role, and we look forward to working closely with governments and other actors in this effort.”

To read the declaration from the High-Level Meeting on NCDs, click here.

More on USCIB’s Health Care Working Group

UN Ramps Up Action on Non-Communicable Diseases

Published on June 23, 2011
Panelists at the luncheon briefing on non-communicable diseases. L-R: Dr. Scott Ratzan (Johnson & Johnson), Louise Kantrow (ICC), Donna Hrinak (PepsiCo), Dr. Karen Sealey (Pan-American Health Organization).
Panelists at the luncheon briefing on non-communicable diseases. L-R: Dr. Scott Ratzan (Johnson & Johnson), Louise Kantrow (ICC), Donna Hrinak (PepsiCo), Dr. Karen Sealey (Pan-American Health Organization).

The United Nations plans to hold a high-level meeting this September in New York on combating non-communicable diseases like cancer and diabetes.  In preparation, USCIB and its affiliate the International Chamber of Commerce hosted a luncheon briefing at the UN on June 16 on “Multi-Stakeholder Solutions Addressing Non-Communicable Diseases.”  The event was attended by some 80 representatives of UN member states, industry and civil society.

Speakers at the luncheon came from across the spectrum of health policy and business, and included:

  • Alexander Alimov, senior counselor with the Russian mission to the UN
  • Dr. Karen Sealey, special advisor to the Pan-American Health Organization
  • Donna Hrinak, co-chair of the International Food and Beverage Alliance and vice president of global public policy with PepsiCo
  • Dr. Scott Ratzan, chair of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations and vice president of global health with Johnson & Johnson
  • Erica Whinston, senior manager with Qualcomm

The panel was moderated by Louise Kantrow, ICC’s permanent representative to the UN.  Earlier in the day, USCIB and ICC submitted a joint statement to an interactive hearing for civil society.  The statement focused on the importance of tailored, local solutions as part of a broader global effort in addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the importance of involving the private sector and the need to take a broad, societal approach.

“NCDs are a societal matter and therefore require whole-of-society and whole-of-government solutions,” the statement said, noting that “all companies have an interest in ensuring they have a healthy and resilient workforce to maintain their competitive edge.”

Staff contact: Helen Medina

Remarks by ICC’s Louise Kantrow to the UN civil society hearing on non-communicable diseases

More on USCIB’s Health Care Working Group