WHO’s Attempt to Navigate Commercial Influence and Conflicts of Interest in Nutrition Programs While Engaging With Non-State Actors: Reflections on WHO Guidance for Nation States Comment on "Towards Preventing and Managing Conflict of Interest in Nutrition Policy? An Analysis of Submissions to a Consultation on a Draft WHO Tool"

Abstract

This commentary situates the comments submitted in response to the World Health Organization (WHO) draft guidance on conflicts of interest in national nutrition programs in light of: (1) WHO policies to protect WHO integrity; (2) the Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA); (3) WHO’s attempt to seek funds due to cuts in member contributions; and (4) attempts—often by corporate entities—to redefine conflicts of interest to avoid oversight of conflicts of interest and increase corporate influence. The WHO guidance defines conflicts of interest in ways that deviate from standard legal usage which confuses its analysis and facilitates the creation of conflicted public-private partnerships. The guidance suggests that nations can allow engagement with non-state actors when the benefits are greater than risks without separate check due to conflicts of interest. Instead, the WHO should have recommended that nations seek alternative ways to achieve their goals when non-state actors have significant institutional conflicts of interest.

‘They have a right to participate as a stakeholder’: Article 5.3 implementation and government interactions with the tobacco industry in Ethiopia

“…3 Realising its potential to support effective tobacco control governance requires actively supporting policymakers in reconciling perceived tensions with requirements for stakeholder consultation. The question of whether corporate actors constitute stakeholders to be routinely engaged in health governance is increasingly contentious, 42 and unfortunately Article 5.3 guidelines do not directly engage with this terminology. The variable understanding and uncertainty evidently in Ethiopia and elsewhere 8 highlight the importance of efforts to more clearly delineate legitimate stakeholders in developing tobacco control strategies.…”

Conflict of interest in nutrition conference financing: Moving towards solutions after IUNS 2022

“…WHO also has broader guidelines on COI. Nevertheless, according to some scholars, the WHO guidance deviates from standard legal usage, is confusing in its analysis, and may even facilitate the creation of conflicted public-private partnerships (Rodwin 2018;Rodwin 2020); and this framing can tend to ignore issues of power inherent in these relationships (Harris et al 2021). Despite contestation (Ralston et al 2020), these WHO Guidelines remain the major guidance on addressing COI in the field of public health.…”