O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health

O’Neill Institute Summer Program 2013

The O’Neill Institute Summer Program on NCDs and the Law will take a global approach to the issues, while also drawing upon case studies from domestic law. Participants will enhance their understanding of the global burden of NCDs, contemporary developments at the international level, international instruments governing NCDs, best practice regulation, the intersection of human rights and NCDs and the intersection of trade, investment and NCDs. Learn More ›

Trade and Public Health

Non-communicable diseases, associated with risk factors such as tobacco consumption, poor diet, and alcohol use, represent a growing health burden around the world. The seriousness of non-communicable diseases is reflected in the adoption of international instruments such as the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health; and the WHO Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol. In line with these instruments, states are beginning to use measures such as taxes, restrictions on marketing, product regulation, and labeling measures for public health purposes. Learn More ›

Tobacco Product Regulation and The WTO

In September 2011, the World Trade Organization (WTO) released the report of a panel tasked with considering a complaint brought by Indonesia concerning prohibitions on certain flavored tobacco products implemented by the United States (US). The panel concluded that the US violated WTO law and recommended that the United States be asked to bring its laws into conformity with WTO law. The United States appealed the panel’s decision. The Appellate Body of the WTO upheld the panel report on April 4, 2012. This briefing paper provides a basic overview of the Appellate Body’s report and examines the implications for tobacco control and public health more generally. Learn More ›

"Confronting the Tobacco Epidemic in a New Era of Trade and Investment Liberalization"

On Monday, the World Health Organization published a paper written by Benn McGrady, who directs the O’Neill Institute Initiative on Trade, Investment and Health. The attached paper updates a 2001 WHO paper by Douglas Bettcher et al entitled 'Tobacco Control in an Era of Trade Liberalization'. The updated paper, which is targeted at policy makers, provides a simplified overview of how international trade and investment agreements affect tobacco control and sets out a number of approaches to reduce the risks of non-compliance with trade agreements and to reform international investment agreements.

About Us

The O’Neill Institute Initiative on Trade, Investment and Health aims to bridge the gap between public health and international trade and investment law. The initiative is focused on the effects of trade and investment agreements on domestic regulatory autonomy.

The initiative fosters legal and multi-disciplinary scholarship on the intersection of trade, investment and health. The initiative also disseminates knowledge about international trade and investment law into the broader public health community, to enhance the ability of health lawyers and policy-makers to engage with international trade and investment agreements. Read More »

Current Project Personnel

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Recent Publications and Papers

Upcoming Activities

3- 5 June 2013 Consultation on Tobacco and Trade, World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe
The O’Neill Institute will provide technical support to WHO for this regional consultation involving representatives from WHO Member States.

17 – 21 June 2013 O'Neill Institute Summer Program on NCDs and the Law

Recent Activities

23 - 25 April 2013 – Consultation on Tobacco and Trade, World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Americas
The O’Neill Institute provided technical support to WHO for this regional consultation involving representatives from WHO Member States.

19-21 March 2013 - Consultation on Tobacco and Trade, World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean
The O’Neill Institute provided technical support to WHO for this regional consultation involving representatives from WHO Member States.

4-6 February 2013 - Consultation on Tobacco and Trade, World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa
The O’Neill Institute will provide technical support to WHO for this regional consultation involving representatives from WHO Member States

11-14 February 2013 - Sub-Regional Workshop on Trade and NCDs in the Pacific
The O’Neill Institute will provide input on the legal issues for this workshop hosted by C-Pond, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, the United Nations Development Program and the World Health Organization

20-21 September 2012 - 2nd HEC Paris Workshop on Regulation, Regulating Lifestyle Risks in Europe: The Case of Alcohol, Tobacco and Unhealthy Diets, Paris
Benn McGrady to speak on the implications of recent WTO case law for efforts to control non-communicable diseases.

30 August 2012 - World Cancer Congress, Montreal
Benn McGrady to speak at a session on trade and tobacco control

26-28 July 2012 - Consultation on Tobacco and Trade, World Health Organization, Western Pacific Regional Office, Manila
The O’Neill Institute is providing technical support to WHO for this regional consultation involving representatives from WHO Member States.

18-22 June 2012 - Summer Program on Global Health Law and Governance
Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC

17 May 2012 - The Honorable Nicola Roxon, Attorney-General of Australia: “Why Are Plain Packs Making Big Tobacco So Angry? Australia’s World Leading Work to Combat Smoking”
Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC (Webcast)

7 May 2012 - R&D to Meet the Health Needs of Developing Countries
Results for Development, Washington, DC

March 2012 – International trade and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
WHO FCTC Convention Secretariat, Geneva, Switzerland

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