scholarly journals A Submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Rimmer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Electronic Commerce ◽  
Patent Law ◽  
Neutral Position ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Economic Partnership ◽  
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership ◽  
Access To Knowledge ◽  
The Impact

Executive Summary This submission provides a critical analysis of the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – focusing in particular upon intellectual property and innovation policy.Recommendation 1 RCEP has a broad membership – even with the departure of India from the negotiations. Nonetheless, there remain outstanding tensions between participating nations – most notably, Australia and China. The re-emergence of United States into trade diplomacy will also complicate the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific.Recommendation 2 The closed, secretive negotiations behind RCEP highlight the need for a reform of the treaty-making process in Australia, as well as the need for a greater supervisory role of the Australian Parliament.Recommendation 3 In terms of intellectual property principles and objectives, RCEP promotes foreign investment and trade, and intellectual property protection and enforcement. The agreement needs a stronger emphasis on public policy objectives – such as access to knowledge; the protection of public health; technology transfer; and sustainable development.Recommendation 4 RCEP establishes TRIPS-norms in respect of economic rights under copyright law.Recommendation 5 The agreement does not though enhance copyright flexibilities and defences – particularly in terms of boosting access to knowledge, education, innovation, and sustainable development.Recommendation 6 RCEP provides for a wide range of remedies for intellectual property enforcement – which include civil remedies, criminal offences and procedures, border measures, technological protection measures, and electronic rights management information. Such measures could be characterised as TRIPS+ obligations.Recommendation 7 The electronic commerce chapter of RCEP is outmoded and anachronistic. Its laissez-faire model for dealing with digital trade and electronic commerce is at odds with domestic pressures in Australia and elsewhere for stronger regulation of digital platforms.Recommendation 8 RCEP provides for protection in respect of trade mark law, unfair competition, designs protection, Internet Domain names, and country names.Recommendation 9 As well as providing safeguards against trade and investment action by tobacco companies and tobacco-friendly states, RCEP should do more to address the tobacco epidemic in the Asia-Pacific.Recommendation 10 RCEP has a limited array text on geographical indications, taking a rather neutral position in the larger geopolitical debate on the topic between the European Union and the United States.Recommendation 11 RCEP has provisions on plant breeders’ rights and agricultural intellectual property. There is a debate over the impact of such measures upon farmers’ rights in the Asia-Pacific.Recommendation 12 RCEP does not adequately respond to the issues in respect of patent law and access to essential medicines during the COVID-19 crisis. Likewise, RCEP is not well prepared for future epidemics, pandemics, and public health emergencies.Recommendation 13 RCEP provides limited protection of confidential information and trade secrets – even though there has been much litigation in this field in the Asia-Pacific.Recommendation 14 RCEP is defective because it fails to consider the inter-relationship between trade, labor rights, and human rights.Recommendation 15 RCEP fails to provide substantive protection of the environment, biodiversity, or climate in the Asia-Pacific.Recommendation 16 RCEP does little to reform intellectual property in line with the sustainable development goals.Recommendation 17 RCEP does not adequately consider Indigenous rights – including those in the Asia-Pacific.Recommendation 18 RCEP does not contain an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism. However, the Investment Chapter does have a number of items, which are problematic.

scholarly journals Natural Experiment on Trade and Investment Liberalization and Soft Drink Consumption

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Tcholakov
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
International Trade ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Soft Drink ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
P Value ◽  
Soft Drink Consumption ◽  
Obesity And Diabetes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Globalization is recognized to as a contributing factor to a health harming environment through a variety of mechanisms including through changes in food systems and food availability. Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is linked to obesity and diabetes and its regulation is a key priority for public health. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is an international trade agreement between 11 countries. Methods This project uses of natural experiment methods to predict the impact of the entry into force of the CPTPP on SSB consumption. These methods allow quantitative inferences to be drawn in the situations where the exposure is not randomly assigned. Soft drink consumption data was collected from the Euromonitor database for 80 countries from all regions. This data was used to estimate the effect of agreements similar to the TPP. Results Eleven country trade agreement pairs were identified. In 5 cases out of the 11, the exposed country had a higher soft drink consumption at five years after the trade agreement. The effect of the trade agreement exposure for an average country in the sample in a trade agreement was found to be 1.10 (95% CI: 1.01-1.18; p-value: 0.03) after adjusting for GDP and the involvement of the US. In 7 of the 11 member-countries soft drink consumption is expected to increase yielding an average increase of 9.0% in those countries; the changes did not yield statistically significant differences in others. Conclusions This projected extended the use of synthetic methods to the projection of future effects of policy implementation. While it showed that there may be increasing trend of SSB consumption in certain scenarios, this could not be generalized to all cases. This illustrates the wide range of effects of international trade liberalization and highlights that national policy probably plays a strong modulating role on the impact that it has on local food environments. Key messages Globalization can lead to health harming environments and its impacts should further be studied by public health professionals and researchers. Many global policies have the potential to lead to significant health impacts but are negotiated without involving public health experts.

Readings in Medical Care

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1959 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 752-752
Author(s):  
CHARLES D. MAY
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Reference Material ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Future Position

This is not a book that lends itself to review, but it should be known to those engaged in teaching diverse aspects of pediatrics. As the title implies, it is a collection of readings in medical care. The material covers a wide range of topics on the social and public health aspects of medicine and the hospital, office and home care of patients. It is a useful source of reference material to acquaint the student with his future position in the community and the impact of economic circumstances on medical care.

scholarly journals The Public Health Implications of Brexit: A Health Impact Assessment Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Green
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Health Impact Assessment ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
The Public ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Public Bodies

Abstract On March 29th 2019, the United Kingdom (UK) was due to exit the EU in a process known informally as ’Brexit’. This exit and entry into a 2-year transition is a period of unprecedented political and social upheaval - with many unknowns and much uncertainty attached to the outcomes and future impact. In preparation for Brexit, Public Health Wales commissioned the Wales HIA Support Unit to carry out a health impact assessment of Brexit in Wales to support and inform its and other public bodies planning and future work. This paper examines the unique HIA carried out between July and December 2018 on the impact of the UK withdrawal from the EU in Wales. It discusses the robust, participatory process undertaken, the stakeholders involved and the benefits reaped from this. It highlights the evidence gathered and analysed including the collection methods, the complex nature of the work and disseminates the main findings from the HIA including the potential determinants of health and population groups identified. Finally, it describes the challenges faced, how these were overcome, and the huge benefits, impact and influence it has had to date across a wide range of UK and Welsh organisations and public bodies. This work demonstrates continued leadership in the field of impact assessment and spearheads the requirement for public bodies to carry out HIAs as part of the forthcoming statutory requirements of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 an can inform practice at a global level. Key messages HIA can inform and influence action in response to important strategic decisions. The Brexit HIA is a unique example which can inform international HIA practice.

Investment will drive solid Taiwanese growth in 2020

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Trade Diversion ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Content Type ◽  
China Trade ◽  
Growth Prospects ◽  
Economic Partnership ◽  
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership ◽  
The Impact

Subject Taiwan growth prospects. Significance Taiwan’s GDP grew by 3.38% year-on-year in October-December 2019. This is an acceleration from 2.6% year-on-year growth in the second quarter to 3.0% in the third. Consumer spending has grown steadily, while investment reshoring and exports to the United States have grown even more strongly due to trade diversion designed to mitigate the impact of US-China trade tensions. Impacts Taiwan is not currently part of the Asia Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and its exclusion may limit its trade opportunities. If Taiwan learns from Japan’s experience of adjusting to an ageing population, automated social services could emerge as leading sectors. The president has a renewed mandate to introduce reforms aimed at raising wages and creating jobs, especially in high-skill industries.

scholarly journals 4.K. Workshop: What is going on? New inequalities emerging from the COVID-19 syndemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

Abstract   COVID-19 pandemic interacts with the pandemic of chronic non-communicable diseases and is exacerbated in different social and societal contexts through existing health inequalities - resulting in a syndemic. The socio-economically weakest groups of the population have been most affected (Bambra, 2020, Horton, 2020). In 2020, most activities were focused on controlling the epidemic through a biomedical approach, and only in the second half of the year, with the onset of the second wave, did the understanding that we are dealing with a syndemic, emerge in public health, societal and lately political discourse at the national and EU levels. There is increasing indirect damage to public health due to the loss of jobs and income, the long-term closure of certain activities, difficult access to health systems for those with non-COVID-19 health problems, and general uncertainty about the present and future. Different dimensions of syndemic inequalities (e.g. mental health, cognitive decline, lifestyles, gender, intergenerational) are the main focus of the workshop, including inequalities that were traditionally perceived in public health, as well as new emerging inequalities. In Slovenia we are conducting a study on the impact of the syndemic on people's lives (SI-PANDA 2020/2021), to (1) better understand human behaviour in COVID-19 pandemic and (2) to identify and address the impact of the governmental decisions, pandemic measures and recommendations. The workshop will aim to: Showcase the value of timely measurement and surveying of the COVID-19 syndemic's influences on society; Increase participants' understanding and awareness of the opportunities and challenges associated with different types of inequalities linked to COVID-19; Increase awareness of public health professionals on the importance of overcoming the difference between the biomedical approach and psychosocial paradigms; The workshop will offer an opportunity to: Present some of the outputs of the PANDA research and outline the influences of COVID-19 on lifestyle, mental health and cognitive changes Inform participants about the benefits of the comprehensive national approach in measuring COVID-19 syndemic consequences, embedded in a broader internationally comparative WHO measurement framework; Explore traditional inequalities with new dimensions, such as gender inequalities, newly emerging economic vulnerabilities and transformational inequalities, such as intergenerational inequality. Identify possible syndemic outcome measures at the national and EU levels, while identifying gaps between employing biomedical versus psychosocial approach in controlling conditions. Key messages Present new evidence on a wide range of inequalities emerging from the COVID-19 syndemic and its approach to mitigate it. Showcase an example from Slovenia (within the WHO internationally harmonized approach) of timely measuring the right data to inform a biomedical response as well as psychosocial measures.

scholarly journals Analysis of The Potential Impact of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership on the ASEAN Member Countries

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-37
Author(s):  
Makmun Syadullah ◽  
Miftahudin ◽  
Benny Gunawan Ardiansyah
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Market Access ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
Asean Member ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Economic Partnership ◽  
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership ◽  
The Impact

This paper aims to analyze the potential impacts of the RCEP concept developed in the working group and the potential impact on market expansion. Based on the results achieved in the working group dis-cussions, we used a qualitative approach. We put together a simulation of how the impact on trade and mar-ket development has been the goal of the establishment of RCEP. We concluded that the unification of the 16 countries in the RCEP expected to reduce the spaghetti bowl effect caused by a number of free trade agree-ments followed by a country. However, because RCEP does not eliminate regional free trade agreements that exist, RCEP tend to add to the chain's new spaghetti bowl. In addition, the opening of market access among partner countries in the ASEAN-expected results in increased trade intra-ASEAN partner countries so that the impact on economic growth in the region in general and ASEAN in particular.

Factors Contributing to the Occurrence of Leptospirosis, and the Impact on Public Health in Saint Lucia 2008-2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 69-78
Author(s):  
Edward L. Emmanuel
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Educational Programme ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Bacterial Disease ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Saint Lucia ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. The causative agent is a spirochete of the genus Leptospira. In humans, it causes a wide range of symptoms, however, asymptomatic presentation is not uncommon. Without proper treatment, leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, and respiratory distress. Death may occur in some patients. The aim of the study is to identify the factors contributing to the occurrence of leptospirosis, and the impact on public health in Saint Lucia 2008-2019. The study design is a mixed – method, comprising quantitative and qualitative data. A stratified sampling design using probability proportionate to size sampling at the settlement level was used. Secondary data on the incidence of leptospirosis were obtained from the Ministry of Health, and rainfall data were obtained from the Meteorology Office. Analysis of the data reveals several factors contributing to the occurrence of leptospirosis in Saint Lucia: poor garbage disposal; a large rodent population with easy access to garbage; and a lack of knowledge of leptospirosis. The impact on public health is manifested in the mortality and morbidity of individuals primarily men, and the health, social, and economic impact on the country. Reducing the impact of leptospirosis on the individual and country necessitates an island wide multi - sectoral control and prevention educational programme; an evaluation of the collection, storage, and disposal of household garbage; and the enforcement of legislation governing the proper collection, storage and disposal of garbage.

Emergency preparedness training preferences and perceived barriers to training among various healthcare providers and public health practitioners in Massachusetts

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-106
Author(s):  
John Broach, MD, MPH, MBA, FACEP ◽  
Mary-Elise Smith, MA, MD, FACEP
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Training Topic ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Training Preferences ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: Emergency preparedness training is vital to a wide range of healthcare and public health disciplines. Although agencies may try to tailor their training efforts based on perceived need, the topics and methods of instruction may be misguided, resulting in wasted effort and poor participation in training events. Objective: The objective of this study was to understand in a rigorous way, the training preferences and barriers to training among practitioners in Massachusetts.Methods: In August 2013, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health distributed an online survey to health professionals in Massachusetts regarding their emergency preparedness training topic preferences and any perceived barriers and challenges associated with obtaining this training. A total of 796 healthcare and public health professionals responded to the survey and answered some or all of the questions asked.Results: The results of the survey identified important differences in preference for some topics based on a provider's practice location and discipline. However, Community Recovery and Community Preparedness were seen as desirable by all disciplines with more than 80 percent of respondents rating each of these issues as being highly important. Barriers to training were also assessed. Time spent away from work was the most commonly identified barrier (77.41 percent). Travel distance and financial constraints were also rated highly with scores of 65.48 and 63.71 percent, respectively.Conclusions: This study demonstrates important areas of agreement with respect to desired training topics and points out areas where providers in different disciplines and from different geographic areas may have differing educational preferences. Even within the limitation of this investigation, we expect that this study will be a valuable tool for those attempting to effectively target emergency preparedness training and structure course offerings in ways that minimize the impact of barriers to training.

scholarly journals ELECTRONIC COMMERCE IN THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND THE IMPACT ON INDONESIA

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 316
Author(s):  
Wenny Setiawati
Keyword(s):  
International Trade ◽  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Electronic Commerce ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Fair Competition ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The Impact

AbstrakThis paper abserves the development in the discussion of e-commerce as across cutting issue in WTO and how the issue affected Indonesia primarily inthe information and communication technology (ICT) area. The explorationwill focus on e-commerce discussion and the progress starting from the FirstMinisterial Conference to the Fifth. The observation will also broaden to allrelated issue of the topic in this research, such as intellectual property rightsand ICT Under the author analysis, there is one thing that Indonesiangovernment can take advantage, the joining in Information TechnologyAgreement (ITA). Because ITA was, establish in the purpose of encouragingnations to develop their ICT so there will be development in the ICT in orderto create of fair competition. The encouragements were given in the form ofreducing custom and duties on technology used for ICT More authoropinion that Indonesia must see ITA as the facility in building up the ICT inthe country, despite the debate on the categorization of e-commerce, whetheras good or service. Indonesia must take an immediate step redeem necessaryto compete in the globalization of commerce, and maximizing the ICTdevelopment through available facility is one possible step right now.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document