English As the World Trade Organization increases its control over intellectual property rights, more power is put in the hands of multinational corporations, especially with regard to patent rights. The results of this trend are a funnelling of capital and resources from developing countries. There is a growing debate over the legitimacy of the agreement, as it is antithetical to social justice and human rights. French En ces temps de hausse des contrôles sur les droits de propriété intellectuelle par l'Organisation mondiale du commerce, des pouvoirs accrus passent aux mains des corporations multi-nationales, en ce qui a trait aux brevets d'invention en particulier. Ces tendances ont pour résultats le passage de capitaux et de ressources des nations en voie de développement vers d'autres lieux. Ces tendances étant à l'antithèse de la justice sociale et des droits humains, la question de la légitimité des accords donne lieu à des débats grandissants. Spanish A medida que la Organización Mundial de Comercio aumenta su control sobre los derechos de propiedad intelectual, se pone mayor poder en manos de las corporaciones multinacionales, especialmente en el campo de los derechos de patente. Esta tendencia ha dado por resultado, en los países en vías de desarrollo, el provocar la extracción indebida de su capital y sus recursos. Crece hoy el debate sobre la legitimidad de tal acuerdo, ya que es antitético a la justicia social y a los derechos humanos.
BackgroundThis research examines the effectiveness of an Emergency Warming Centre (EWC) in Inuvik, Canada, at reducing rates of morbidity and mortality for homeless persons with concurrent disorders (mental health problems and addictions). Inuvik is a small town of approximately 3500 residents, with over 65% being Aboriginal. The town is situated on the Beaufort Delta in the Western Canadian Arctic and is subject to oil and gas extraction-based boom and bust economic cycles. The centre provided food and accommodation for those under the influence of alcohol or drugs who had no other place to stay.MethodsQualitative interviews about users’ experiences at the centre were conducted with guests, as they were called, centre staff and other key stakeholders in autumn 2014 and spring 2015. Samples of (9) respondents and (7) stakeholders provided significant information about the importance of the EWC. The content of the qualitative data with guests and stakeholders were analyzed for emergent themes.ResultsSeveral emergent themes and subthemes related to participants’ experiences at the EWC and success of the centre. Overall, the results showed that guests benefitted from a safe place to stay and felt better about their overall health.ConclusionsCompared with research on wet shelters in New Zealand, Great Britain and the US, this research reveals that harm reduction-based models for homeless persons with concurrent disorders require significant investments in infrastructure, which are not readily available. Yet, the lessons learned from these jurisdictions might be extrapolated to communities like Inuvik to develop alternative housing strategies.
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