A los Ministros de Comercio

The Alliance for Responsible Trade (ART) warns Trade Ministers that proposed intellectual property rules in the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) could limit governments' ability to provide affordable essential medicines and undermine national sustainable development projects by exceeding TRIPS agreement standards. The coalition also calls for greater transparency in the negotiation process, requesting the publication of clear texts and the holding of national and regional public hearings to ensure substantive civil society dialogue.

• The Alliance for Responsible Trade (ART) is concerned that specific stipulations within the FTAA text would restrict the ability of governments to provide their populations with essential medicines at reasonable prices.
• Analysis from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) indicates that FTAA intellectual property proposals would unacceptably increase protection levels beyond those established by the TRIPS agreement, thereby restricting key flexibilities and undermining national sustainable development projects.
• The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has raised specific concerns regarding patents on life forms, with a particular focus on plants.
• ART argues that the current FTAA negotiation process lacks transparency and inclusivity, noting that the use of brackets in texts makes commenting difficult and that the seminar format limits participation to well-resourced civil society organizations.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2004). A los Ministros de Comercio. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IPR_Jan04Statement_AllianceSpan.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. A los Ministros de Comercio. 2004. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IPR_Jan04Statement_AllianceSpan.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=A los Ministros de Comercio |date=22 January 2004 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IPR_Jan04Statement_AllianceSpan.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2004los, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{A los Ministros de Comercio}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2004}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IPR_Jan04Statement_AllianceSpan.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }