GAPA joined with a number of like minded NGOs to draft a Statement of Concern related to the involvement of the private sector in the UN High Level process on NCDs.

This Statement of Concern has been developed by the Conflicts of Interest Coalition*. It focuses on the lack of clarity regarding the role of the private sector in public policymaking in relation to the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The same principles could be applied to many other areas of public health policy. It calls for the development of a Code of Conduct and Ethical Framework to help protect the integrity of, and to ensure transparency in, public policy decision-making, by identifying, safeguarding against and managing potential conflicts of interest.

The Statement of Concern was sent to the President of the United Nations General Assembly and the co-facilitators of the United Nations High Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of NCDs that took place in September 2011.

As of February 2012, the statement has been endorsed by 160 national, regional and global networks and organisations working in public health, including medicine, nutrition, cancer, diabetes, heart, lung and liver disease, mental health, infant feeding, food safety and development.

Read the full statement (updated, February 2012):

Conflict of Interest Coalition – Statement of Concern – 160 Download