Debate Dinners
Health
1. Is the Drug Patenting System a Friend or an Enemy of Development?
2. Emerging Diseases and Tomorrow’s World
3. Health or Money – What Are the Drivers for Medical Research for Public Health Priorities?
4. Bioethics and Progress
Agriculture and Food
1. GM plants – Agricultural Biotechnology for the Developing World: solutions? issues? challenges? ….
2. Global Change and the Food Supply
3. Ensure Environmental Sustainability
4. Nutrition and Health
Society and Environment
1. Biodiversity and the Millennium Development Goals
2. Women and the MDGs
3. Water and Diseases Transmission
H1 - Is the drug patenting system a friend or an enemy of development? The patent system allows the development of novel drugs The patent system offers inventors about 20 years of monopoly privilege for exploiting patented inventions. In the pharmaceutical industry this translates to a 10 year market monopoly following lengthy and expensive development. Generic drugs can be sold where no patent rights exist, or when patents expire. However, for diseases such as AIDS, itself new, only new – and patented drugs can help. But… the poor are affected and cannot afford expensive drugs – or vaccines. Can poor nations ignore patent privilege? Can they develop drugs themselves? Can the rich world support drug access for the poor world? How can we prevent abuses such as drug fraud or “grey imports” of drugs supposed to be for the poor. Is the current patent system a good tool for innovation management in poor countries? H2 - Emerging diseases and tomorrow’s world How do new diseases emerge? Speakers H3 - Health or money – what are the drivers for medical research for public health priorities? Description of the theme Are society’s needs and industry’s needs in line? Speakers H4: Bioethics and Progress What is responsible research? Who define responsible research? Speakers A1: GM plants – Agricultural biotechnology for the developing world: solutions? issues? challenges? ….
Description of the theme
but they are too expensive for the poor making tech transfer more difficult.
Can the poor nations develop their own drugs?
Speakers
Description of the theme
Can developing nations play an active role in surveillance?
Should the developed nations care?
What if half the world doesn’t wake up next Monday?
What are the forces driving the emergence of new diseases? Proximity to animals, overcrowding, poor sanitary infrastructure, poor education in basic hygiene, change in climatic conditions, urbanization, …all are contributive factors. Basic concepts such as mutation of viruses or bacteria to adapt to new host. Should we be developing contingency plans for a natural disaster which will make biological weapons look like children’s toys . There is a need for supplying basic hygiene education and infrastructure, which makes medicine easier to practice. Travel means we are all exposed so rich world needs to invest in its own protection, by limiting threat at source.
Humanitarian principles versus profit?
Public versus private sector obligations, is profit more efficient than ideals? How to motivate industries to work on neglected diseases?
When a company is obliged to make money, can it also aspire to high ethical goals? Some say no, but in reality the public sector has been unable to deliver the medications society needs. Profit and the patent system have been incentives for innovation. Historically drugs and vaccines have developed with reasonable ethical purity, but HIV drugs raise questions. Do companies prefer to develop expensive drugs rather than cheap vaccines? A vaccine you take once or thrice, but drugs you take for life with many conditions. Consider, for instance, the public-private venture setup by the government to eradicate the meningitis problem.
Description of the theme
What are the ethics of progress?
Embryo and stem cells illustrate the bioethical dilemmas facing today research scientists. There are clear ethical issues associated with the use of embryonic stem cells. Each embryonic stem could become a conscious adult. Whereas, adult stem cells have only limited potential according to today expertise. Can (or should we try?) we reconcile different ethical position of different cultures?
Description of the theme
Framing the issue: What is happening in the field today? New trends in ag biotech at field level and at research level?
Focusing on future ….: Are there specific needs not currently addressed or technologies that have not yet reached developing countries? Ag biotech crops role in sustainable development and in improving agriculture’s environmental footprint ?
Exploring means: What partnerships / relationships need to be developed / expanded to ensure equitable access to new technologies?
Maintaining free choice….: How to ensure farmers choice and access to new technologies?
This theme should be orientated toward future: one should try to avoid argumentation on current technologies. Speakers
A2: Global change and the food supply Global warming and appropriate crops Global changes are happening. Rising sea levels will flood agricultural land. Rising temperatures and changing patterns of rainfall will change nature of optimal crop species. Deserts will bloom, temperate agriculture may become desert. These drastic changes in ecosystems will make it necessary to rethink our agricultural models and policies. How to redeploy the uses of our land resources? How to adjust? Speakers
Description of the theme
Today’s staple foods may not be appropriate tomorrow
Agricultural policies are no longer appropriate
Adjustment of agricultural policies will require courage and creativity and ability to give up one-sided approach. Are we on the right track?
A3: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
Description of the theme
How best can we integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and ultimately reverse loss of our environmental resources The cost of oil derived fuels is continuing to rise, and as the global demand for energy depletes oil reserves, this trend is likely to increase in the longer term. Coupled with the need to reduce CO2 emissions which is providing a significant stimulus to improve engine efficiency, there will be pressures to move towards low - or - neutral - carbon fuels such as bio-diesel and hydrogen. New fuels, vehicle systems and supply infrastructure need development in parallel, and a number of competing solutions are likely. The two main current players in the market, bioethanol and biodiesel, are made from crops such as cereals, soybean, rape seed oil, sugar cane and palm oil. While governments embrace what they see as a key player in a low-carbon future, there are concerns over some potential unwanted consequences. Demand for land to grow these crops could put pressure on valuable ecosystems such as rainforests, and reduce the area available for subsistence food crops in developing countries. Are 2nd generation biofuels the answer - they are largely at the pilot stage, but there are considerable economic and environmental advantages to their development and deployment.
1st vs. 2nd generation biofuels for transportation - pros/cons
Development and deployment Global changes are happening.
Speakers
A4: Nutrition and health : a conflicting relationship between economic interest, cultural trends and societal needs The political and economic dimension: - In the North: unbalanced diets create major health problems and put additional strain on the national healthcare systems as it is the poorest segment of the population which is the most exposed. - In developing countries: rapid adoption of western food standards by new middle class families together with massive urbanization have generated (or have resulted in the development of) a more meat-based diet with easy-to-use products (pasta, rice, bread…). As a consequence, more soybean calories are needed to match the level of calories in meat, which in turn bleeds the nutrients from land used for agriculture. In addition, urban food habits are more wasteful than those of rural areas. The industrial dimension: - High sugars and fatty foods are the least healthy products, but are also the most lucrative products for industry …………….. - But industry can be a very effective agent for changes by producing innovative (is this the word we want?), healthier foods. The scientific dimension: Speakers
Description of the theme
- New diseases associated with unbalanced or over-nutrition are increasing. This new diseases attract more and more R&D budget. True progress?
S1 : Biodiversity and the Millennium Development Goals
Description of the theme
What is strategic biodiversity and what is nostalgic biodiversity ?: How does biodiversity affect development issues? Speakers
Why is biodiversity at risk?
Can we, in developing and developed nations, do anything?
Much is said about the importance of biodiversity, but the planet has survived several major biodiversity crashes. What is strategic biodiversity and what is nostalgic biodiversity? We have seen that agriculture can be threatened by monoculture and pests that wipe out a staple food crop. Biodiversity is directly related to issues such as: new agronomic crops? new genetic resources for pharmaceuticals, chemicals ? new pests ? insect pollinators? etc… Does global warming threaten or encourage biodiversity? What are the impacts on our economies, long term stability of climate and energy flows.
S2 : Women and the MDGs
Description of the theme
When we look at the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals see enclosed doc.), we see that the first 6 Goals are directly related to the role of women in society. On closer examination, can we even go so far as to suggest that Goal #3 - Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women - is the key to the other 7 MDGs ? If this is so, then why waste precious time, energy and money putting together complex policies and market mechanisms that supposedly drive or create incentives for change ? Would a more sustainable and easier scenario be one where women were “at the helm” at every level of society ? If so, would the ROI on $1worth of investment in serious empowerment of women be far greater than that same $1 being used to design yet more policies for each of the MDGs ?
Bottom line: the MDGs would be far better served in a more matriarchal society than they are in the one in which we currently live !? . Speakers S3 : Water and diseases transmission A history of water in disease transmission Speakers
Description of the theme
The growth of sanitation and hygiene
Microbiological threats to modern water supplies
Availability of affordable clean water underpins modern civilization; Water is the ideal medium for diseases transmission; Access to clean water has always been cause for regional conflicts; is private ownership of water supply part of the equation?
