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Table 4 Political Recommendations

From: How can developing countries harness biotechnology to improve health?

Africa

India

Eastern Mediterranean

Latin America and the Caribbean

Western Pacific/Southeast Asia

- Identify champions among politicians

- Use the New Plan for African Development (NEPAD) as entry point onto political agenda

- Increase [government] funding for healthcare research with appropriate emphasis on genomics

- Create National Commission on Genomics, Biotechnology and Health, multisectoral membership include youth, women, and civil society. The focus should include ethical issues

- Based on evidence from the national survey described above, governments of member states should develop and adopt, at the highest level, a national biotechnology strategy

- Regional Director EMRO may be requested to address the governments at the highest level for actively considering the proposals of this workshop and for giving priority attention to genomics for health and health biotechnology. The political leadership may be provided effective advocacy material, with special reference to its link with poverty alleviation, public health objectives, and need for transfer (and internalization) of technology

- Create, at the local and regional levels, a strategy to strengthen capacity in science, in technology, and in management

-Establish a concrete genomics and biotechnology public policy, a strategy, and a plan of action to develop and use these disciplines to address the country's most pressing health problems

- Build strategy at the regional level in order to promote the creation of international, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and multi-institutional projects

-Coordinate/undertake/conduct strategic planning aimed at achieving sustainability of programs using measurable benchmarks for desired regional and national outcomes

- Encourage proactive government support

- Advocate for public and private support