9. World Health Organisation
Background
The World Health Organisation ("WHO"), the United Nations specialised agency for health, was established on 7 April 1948. The WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Consideration of Traditional Knowledge
Interest in both the health care and economic development aspects of traditional medicine has been increasing worldwide. As the economic and trade value of traditional knowledge, particularly the knowledge of traditional medicine and medicinal plants, is becoming increasingly recognised, more and more WHO Member States have become concerned with the need to protect it and to secure the fair and equitable sharing of any benefits derived from its utilisation.
As a result of requests from its Member States to co-operate with other international organisations considering the protection of traditional knowledge, such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (see fact sheet 5) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (see fact sheet 4), WHO has established a work programme on traditional knowledge, with a particular focus on traditional medicines.
Through its work programme, the WHO supports Member States in their efforts to formulate national policies on traditional medicine, to study the potential usefulness of traditional medicine, including evaluation of practices and examination of the safety and efficacy of remedies, to upgrade the knowledge of traditional and modern health practitioners, as well as to educate and inform the general public about proven traditional health practices.
As an example, the WHO recently published Guidelines on Developing Consumer Information on Proper Use of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines. These guidelines were developed in response to concerns that while there are many benefits from the use of traditional medicines and therapies, there are also risks associated. Although consumers today have widespread access to various traditional treatments and therapies, they often do not have enough information on what to check for when using these medicines in order to avoid unnecessary harm.
These guidelines, therefore, provide governments and other stakeholders with an overview of the general principles and activities necessary for the development of reliable consumer information. The document will also be a useful reference to consumers in guiding them on the information they need to have in order to choose traditional medicines and therapies that are safe and effective. To view the guidelines, please visit: WHO Guidelines on Developing Consumer Information on Proper Use of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine .
Another initiative of the WHO was the Inter-regional Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights in the Context of Traditional Medicine held in December 2000. This workshop produced a number of recommendations for Member States of the WHO, including:
- Ways and means need to be devised and customary laws strengthened to protect traditional medicinal knowledge from biopiracy;
- Governments should develop and use all possible systems including the sui generis models to protect traditional medicine and promote equitable benefit sharing; and
- Governments should develop guidelines or laws and enforce them to ensure benefit sharing with communities where traditional medicinal knowledge is used for commercial purposes.
Future Work
The WHO will continue to provide support to Member States in their efforts to formulate national policies on traditional medicine, including providing guidelines on how governments can incorporate traditional medicinal knowledge into mainstream medicine practices. It will also monitor the World Trade Organisation (see fact sheet 6) and any amendment to Article 27 of the TRIPS agreement.
New Zealand Position
New Zealand supports the preservation and protection of traditional knowledge in the area of health while continuing to maintain our international obligations.
Acknowledgement
The Ministry of Economic Development would like to acknowledge the WHO website for the information used to prepare this fact sheet. For more information on the WHO, please visit their website at WHO: World Health Organization .
Back to Top