On 17th October, the Working Group on Intellectual Property of the Brazilian Network for the Integration of Peoples (GTPI/REBRIP, acronym in Portuguese), coordinated by the Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association (ABIA, acronym in Portuguese), made a submission of recommendations to the South African Department of Trade and Industry on the Draft National Policy on IP.

The working group is comprised of several Brazilian civil society organizations that work to ensure the right to health, including organizations working with people living with HIV/AIDS, human rights and consumers rights. Created in 2003, the Group conducts studies and advocacy actions to overcome the negative impact of pharmaceutical patents and other monopolistic mechanisms on the access to essential medicines and the implementation of health policies in Brazil and on Global South.

They welcomed the public consultation opened by the South Africa government related to draft an intellectual property policy and went on to say:

“We expect that this important step represent a continuous commitment with transparency and open dialogue, which can certainly inspire other countries to become more accountable as regards to decisions relating to IP policies. Below, we address some of the main issues opened for discussions during the consultation process.

We also would like to acknowledge and congratulate the efforts made by South Africa Civil Society groups on the “Fix the Patents laws” campaign, which certainly was key to pave the way for such an important public consultation.”

You can access the full Brazilian civil society submission here.