MeTA International Advisory Group meets in London
Posted on 28 April 2009
The MeTA International Advisory Group (IAG) met in London on 8 April 2009, for the second time. The last time they met in September 2008, the challenging process of identifying and engaging stakeholders in countries participating in the pilot phase of MeTA was taking place. During the latest meeting it was clear that MeTA has moved on greatly since then.
The IAG is a multi-stakeholder group reflecting all sectors involved in MeTA: multi- and bi-lateral organisations such as the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the UK Department for International Development; the pharmaceutical industry including the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturer’s and Associations, and GlaxoSmithKline; international non-governmental organisations such as Health Action International; and academic institutes such as the Institute for Democracy in South Africa. The IAG is chaired by Sophia Tickell of SustainAbility.
Representatives from all seven countries participating in MeTA were present to share their experiences, challenges and lessons learned in the process of setting up multi-stakeholder groups and making information around medicines more transparent.
The IAG functions not as a management board, rather members aim to provide counsel and advice on key issues and highlight current trends in the sector that may have an influence on MeTA.
Paul Lartey from LaGray Chemcial Company, Ghana and representative of the MeTA Ghana Council made a presentation on behalf of all the country representatives to show the progress they have made. He noted that all the countries were at different stages and they have all experienced success in various ways. Every country now has a multi-stakeholder council in place and each council has collectively agreed a workplan to implement activities.
Brian Elliott, Executive Director of MeTA, noted that the situation has changed dramatically since the last IAG and recognised that the role of MeTA will evolve as the programmes in countries move forward.
“The critical success is that we’ve engaged the stakeholders in all the pilot countries so they have brought MeTA to the starting line. The challenge is that moving forward we have to sustain stakeholder interest. The second challenge is that we have to start disclosing data and implementing workplans,” he said.
Six short films showing views and opinions of IAG members and country representatives can be seen on MeTA Films. Read a summary of the IAG meeting.
Categories: About MeTA, Ghana, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, Philippines, Uganda, Zambia
