Global day of action: EU-India FTA - 2 March 2011

On 2 March 2011, more than 5,000 representatives from People Living With HIV in India and the Network of People Who Use Drugs, and 500 health activists from India and across the Asia Pacific region are holding a protest against the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in New Delhi.

The protest rally will start at Ramlila Ground at 10:00 am and finish at Jantar Mantar to voice concerns against the FTA. The protest is directed against the stronger Intellectual Property provisions being demanded by the European Commission in the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, which may hamper access to cheap, life-saving, quality medicines for patients not just in India but many other developing countries around the world.

How you can join:

1. Organise your own rally: You can organize rallies or demonstrations in front of European Commission offices in your countries to voice your opposition to their aggressive negotiations on intellectual property in FTAs. Don’t forget that the EU is also negotiating FTAs with many developing countries and making the same demands.
2. Take Action: You and your organization can also support our rally actively. The more organizations speak out for our cause, the louder our message will be heard. Send your logo, your statement, banner, posters etc. to us and we will make sure, that your organization will be part of the protest.
3. Donate: In order to organize this protest, we rely on funding. Any financial support is welcome. If you know organizations, which are interested in funding, if you want donate to our protest, please contact us.
4. Raise awareness: Even though you might not be able to support our rally financially or physically you can help us by spreading the word about our concerns.
5. Write to the Indian Prime Minister, health minister and commerce minister (We can add his mail ID or Fax number): You can also write to the Indian Government asking it to stay strong and not give in to the demands of the European Commission. India, as the pharmacy of the developing world, has an obligation to its citizens as well as patients across the world. We plan to meet the aggressiveness of the European Commission with our peaceful rally.

Join the movement now!