A/HRC/29/44 health systems; procurement of medicines and treatment of patients in resource-constrained settings; balancing between ensuring drug quality and safety and preventing overregulation and regulatory capture. 41. In his concluding remarks, Dr. Sengupta stated that, although safety was a valid and important concern, the current debate around it had political elements that could not be ignored. Decisions and policies affecting health care must not lose sight of the ultimate objective of fulfilling the people’s right to health. Dr. Hayman agreed that safety, particularly for use of opiates, was an important concern. He emphasized the responsibilities of all governments in guaranteeing access to medicines. Mr. Borisov described how the transition from the Soviet public health system to the current public/private health system had had a negative impact on access to health care in the Russian Federation. Currently, thousands lacked adequate cancer care because of coverage gaps and insufficient financing for legislative mandates, exacerbated by lack of transparency in decision-making. Ms. Kamoga stated that substandard drugs posed a real challenge, particularly in Uganda which lacked appropriate regulatory and enforcement mechanisms. She advocated a rights-based approach to access to medicines that empowered communities and individuals and employed effective, evidence-based policies. H. Breakout discussion groups and plenary discussion 42. All participants were invited to join one of three breakout discussion groups. Each focused on a key issue relating to access to medicines in the context of the right to health. Group one, facilitated by Dr. Velásquez, addressed intellectual property regimes and access to medicines. Group two, facilitated by Nhan T. Tran, Manager, Implementation Research Platform, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, WHO, focused on health systems strengthening, capacity-building, community engagement and empowerment. Group three, facilitated by Dr. Sengupta, discussed financing access to medicines and universal health coverage. In those groups, participants focused on identifying concrete solutions and good practices for overcoming barriers to access to medicines. 43. During the plenary discussion which followed, the main findings of the groups were presented by a rapporteur nominated by each group. All participants were given an opportunity to respond and present proposals for the conclusions and recommendations of the Social Forum. Those who took the floor were representatives of Ecuador, Panama, Ariel Foundation International, Knowledge Ecology International, Third World Network and Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, as well as Ms. Forman, Dr. Meguid, Dr. Sengupta and Damiano de Felice, Strategic Adviser to the Chief Executive Officer, Access to Medicine Foundation. A synthesis of the proposals emerging from the breakout and plenary discussions is reflected in the conclusions and recommendations of the present report. I. Innovative approaches to promoting access to medicines 44. Geoff Adlide, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, explained the innovative efforts of Gavi to shape vaccine markets with a view to promoting access. Gavi was a public-private partnership focused on saving children’s lives and promoting human health through improved access to immunization in poor countries. It sought to address inequities in access to vaccines through innovative approaches to access, governance, monitoring and vaccine markets. It supported vaccine purchases by lowincome countries through pooling domestic and regional purchasing power and donor contributions to minimize costs. Gavi also promoted competition and sought to balance supply and demand to ensure continuous supplies of the vaccines required. It tried to 13