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Sustaining and Supporting
CSO work on IP
Fifa Rahman
University of Leeds
Alternate Board Member for NGOs, Unitaid
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Who is
Unitaid?
• Multilateral institution funded by
United Kingdom, France, Chile,
Korea, Spain, among others. Board
Members include these, NGOs,
African Nations, Communities.
• Funds transformative and innovative
solutions to global pandemics.
How are AfIs approved?
New AfIs are formulated based on market
intelligence and stakeholder input, and brought
to the Board via resolutions which the Board can
approve. Earmarked funding is displayed in the
Investment Plan.
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Unitaid Constitution
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1.2. To fulfill its mission, UNITAID will use sustainable,
predictable and additional funding to help generate a steady
demand for drugs and diagnostics, thereby significantly
impacting market dynamics to reduce prices and increase
availability and supply. UNITAID will base its price reduction
strategy on market competition. Where intellectual property
barriers hamper competition and price reductions, it will support
the use by countries of compulsory licensing or other
flexibilities under the framework of the Doha declaration on the
Trade-Related Aspects on Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)
Agreement and Public Health, when applicable.
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Recent developments on Unitaid &
IP
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December 2016 – Intellectual Property Area for Intervention Resolution
approved at the Board
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August 2017 – Call for proposals launched
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Three proposals that have been approved including for work on
compulsory licences and patent oppositions
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Delinkage mentioned in Investment Plan
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Concerns at the Secretariat re sustainability of these proposals
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How ‘innovation’ mandate is limiting – may not apply to IP
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Funding for second call not earmarked – but NGO Board Member &
Alternate are pushing
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Funding for Unitaid is an issue generally
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Risk that funding was limited to US$15 million
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What is needed?
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In-capital advocacy on Unitaid Board Members and
governments – including Brazil (Nilo Dytz), Chile
(Rosalia Framil), Spain (Martín Remón), Korea (Jin-Kyu
Jeong), and African Nations (Lindiwe Makubalo).
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General advocacy on increasing funding to Unitaid