Prague, 30 December 2003
Mr.
Luiz Inácio L u l a da Silva
Presidente do Brasil
Palácio de Alvorada
Presidencia da República Federativa
Brasília, Distrito Federal
B R A S I L
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Re: Argument
against the World Trade Organization policy discriminating
Dear Mr. President,
I am writing you
as former United
Nations officer responsible for its animal health policy. I am
writing to you as to the Head of a country which effectively defending
developing countries against discriminatory trade policy during World Trade
Organization Conference in Cancún proved to be leading authority of the
I would like to offer to you a further argument against unfair World Trade Organization policy detrimental to non-privileged countries and unilaterally favourable to the rich developed countries.
The problem is the globalization of communicable diseases through international trade started officially by the WTO „Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures “ (further “SPS”) in 1995. Its only purpose was “to facilitate trade” at the expense of the quality, i.e. of the health. This superfluous antisanitary document for the first time in the history officially admits, supports even imposes spreading of infectious diseases, i.e. requires to import also animals and their products containing disease pathogens ! WTO started legalization of one of the biggest ecological global irreparable disaster in the history of the mankind ! Global sanitary situation is rapidly worsening as never before thanks mainly to disease spread through international trade.
The consequences of this unfair and very dangerous policy are catastrophic mainly for developing countries having not enough qualified staff, diagnostic laboratories and resources for: effectively controlling the import of animals and food of animal origin, detecting in time or at all imported diseases, eradicating them, protecting human populations, discovering and treating all affected people (about 200 diseases are common to animals and man). Importing developing countries must often pay not only imported commodities but also the “import of diseases” causing considerable losses (e.g. in livestock production) and very expensive and demanding control and eradication programmes, which are very often not successful, if feasible at all. Imported diseases spread (often insidiously creeping without being detected) territorially and to next generations affecting enormous number of human beings and animals. If these diseases are not eradicated then they become permanent multiplying negative impacts also in the future. Practically irreparable are the cases when the pathogens penetrate outside of domestic animals and create lasting natural foci.
The WTO-SPS policy undermines and goes clearly against the global programmes of: “health for all”, alleviation of poverty, sustainable development, environment protection, biosecurity, food safety, animal welfare, etc..
The WTO-SPS was adopted by the member countries in good faith not knowing the true risks and consequences due to their deliberate concealing (cheating) by the GATT/WTO Secretariat in 1994 and being attracted by promising but absolutely false preamble “Desiring to improve the human health, animal health … in all Members;”.
Conscious,
deliberate and organized international spreading of diseases is a
c r i m e and in case of
dangerous diseases transmissible to man
as a crime a g a i n s t h u m a n i t y . This is
a r e a l international b i o t e r r o r i s m.
I have carried out a global analysis of
disease import cases myself because the WTO has never presented to member country
governments the true consequences of the SPS policy. Detailed analysis (based on official
statistical data provided by the governments to FAO and OIE), information and comments see on my
website http://vaclavkouba.byl.cz.
I have been writing (I cannot do more) to the leaders of relevant international organizations (list, including Secretary-General of the UN, can be found on the same website under “warning”) but without any correcting reaction. There is obviously a fear to irritate the powerful lobby of the major exporters of the rich developed countries when asking for simple, for any normal human being logical, action to stop immediately the support of diseases spreading through international trade and to inform world public about the true health risk situation.
Detailed justification for the abolition of the WTO
“Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures” can
be found on the mentioned website where is full text of my two letters to the WTO
Director General (Dr M. Moore from
The WTO-SPS policy detrimental to developing world was well prepared: About the beginning of the 90s World Bank and International Monetary Fond imposed upon the countries a privatization mania ad absurdum to minimize public services (to lose the ability to control sanitary situation and trade). In 1996 as follow-up of the SPS the OIE (Office International of Epizootics */) took over from the FAO global animal health information system and immediately abolished regular reporting on cases of disease import and on disease occurrence grades minimizing information on diseases situation in exporting countries. The OIE simultaneously changed its original health protection policy into full support of the WTO-SPS policy (“Import risk analysis is preferable to a zero risk approach..” OIE Code 1997, page 31) not respecting medical ethics based on consistent protection of population health and abusing “risk assessment” methods. WTO and OIE started intensive international trainings creating an atmosphere of accepting unconditionally the SPS and not permitting any critics of the WTO antisanitary policy.
*/ Note: The OIE (called now itself as “World
Organization for Animal Health) is a particular inter-governmental organization
outside of the United Nations Organization: it does not apply “rotation system”
(e.g. during 80 years from its foundation in 1924 all Directors General have
been only from one country – France; veterinary chiefs of the FAO and the WHO
are also Frenchmen !); it does not apply non-discrimination principles (country
proportionality) within its structure and activities where the major exporting
rich countries are much more influential than the others; it does not present
the recommendations for member country government decisions (on subjects
requiring higher authority level than of Chief Veterinary Officer) as it is
normal within the UN system. I wonder how long the member countries will pay an
organization which has stopped to respect its original constitution and mission
when admitting and supporting diseases spreading through international trade.
Double meter and discrimination of developing
countries can be demonstrated by following example: When in 1978 Brazil
imported African swine fever (the most dangerous disease in pigs) the developed
countries started global alarm and e.g. European Union stopped the import not
only of animal products from Brazil which was able to eradicate this disease in
1981. The same disease was introduced in Italy also in 1978 however without any
global alarm and the disease after 25
years is still there; meanwhile Italian pig meat export has increased by 4O
times ! (Actual President of the OIE is the Italian Chief Veterinary Officer !)
My letter is sent for your information and consideration to use it eventually as possible other argument in confrontation with the WTO.
I am suggesting for your considerations:
- to demand the Director General of the WTO to abolish immediately the SPS that supports disease spreading through international trade and discriminates almost defenceless developing countries;
- to demand the Director General of the OIE to abolish without any delay all provisions facilitating, admitting or supporting diseases spreading through international trade;
- to demand the Director General of the FAO to retake full responsibility for UN global animal health policy and to introduce reliable and complex information system on international spreading of diseases, mainly through trade, for operational measures and regular informing the member country governments;
- to inform United Nations Security Council about man-made diseases spreading through international trade causing irreparable global ecological disaster representing a form of real bioterror and to suggest to inform all member countries about this particular health risk.
With the best wishes to you, your government and your nation for the year 2004
Prof. Dr Václav K o u b a, DrSc.
Formerly:
- Chief, Animal Health Service, Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO)
- Veterinary Public Health Expert, World Health Organization (WHO)
- Informatics Expert, International Office of Epizootics (OIE)
Address: P.B. 516, 17000 Praha 7,