News
IAS joins NGOs in endorsing statement to UN on conflicts of interest
The IAS has joined forces with over 100 NGOs around the
world to sign a statement of concern about conflicts of interest between
the commercial sector and public health policy objectives.
The statement, which will be sent to the President of the
UN ahead of the Civil Society Interactive Hearing in New York and UN
High Level Meeting in September, calls upon the UN to recognize the
difference between business interest NGOs (BINGOs) and public interest
NGOs (PINGOs).
It also calls for the establishment of a code of conduct
to manage conflicts of interest between the private sector, which
clearly differentiates between policy development and implementation.
The statement comes at a time when Governments are
increasingly looking towards adopting ‘partnerships’ with the private
sector, such as the UK Government’s Public Health Responsibility Deal.
It states “the policy development stage should be free
from industry involvement to ensure a “health in all policies” approach,
which is not compromised by the obvious conflicts of interests
associated with the food alcohol, beverage and other industries, who are
primarily answerable to shareholders”
To read the full statement, click here: