NEW SOLUTIONS A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy

On June 27, 2001, the World Health Organization conducted hearings in Geneva for a Special Report on Genomics & Health. Initially intended as a document to address the ethical, legal, and social implications of the gathering genomics resolution (ELSI), the terms of reference of the report were significantly modified to give primary emphasis to a scientific and technological assessment of the implications of genomics for human health. The Citizens’ Health Initiative, one of two NGOs invited to make submissions at these consultations, suggested that no less important than the scientific and technical assessment was a perspective which gave due attention to the social context and political economy of scientific/technological development and its deployment. The article below touches upon neglected health priorities of poor countries, intellectual property rights and patents, risk management, insurance and discrimination, and predictive (prenatal) testing, reproductive choice, and eugenics. The Citizens’ Health Initiative (CHI) is a coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) based in Malaysia, which has extensive international links. We thank the World Health Organization (WHO) for this opportunity to express our views on genomics and health, and we wish to state the following as among our concerns: *Editor’s Note: This is a position paper that was presented at the World Health Organization global consultations for a Special Report on Genomics & Health in Geneva, June 27, 2001.