A/HRC/29/44 Patent Pool, Mr. Burrone appealed for greater risk-taking and policy experimentation. He highlighted the need to maintain drug quality while regulatory barriers were rationalized to promote access. Mr. Love lamented a system which excluded the majority, and the lack of access to cancer medication. He proposed fundamental changes to promote innovation in the least harmful manner, and to delink drug prices from research and development costs. Ms. de Lussigny referred to the obligation to promote access and use limited resources to benefit as many people as possible. She recommended addressing the issue of regulatory barriers to the importation of life-saving medicines and emphasized the important role of generic competition in reducing prices. Dr. Doraiswamy supported a greater focus on neglected populations and their rights. IV. Conclusions and recommendations 59. In closing the Social Forum, the Chairperson assured all the participants of the continued commitment of Qatar to global health. He informed them of the World Innovation Summit for Health which had held its annual session in Qatar in February 2015. The Summit had brought together health leaders from over 80 countries to share the latest research, ideas and health innovations that had the potential to revolutionize the future of global health care. A. Conclusions 60. Several common themes emerged from the 2015 Social Forum. Not only is access to medicines a matter of life and death; it also enhances the quality of life; and it is key to a life with dignity. Yet, 2 billion men, women and children have no access to essential medicines. Intellectual property laws, lack of finances, weak health systems, poverty, inequality and discrimination, among other factors, contribute to lack of access to medicines. 61. Access to medicines involves public health, social justice and international human rights obligations. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights requires States to take steps, to the maximum of their available resources, to progressively realize the right to health, prohibit retrogressive measures and requires them to immediately fulfil their minimum core obligations. It also calls for international cooperation. Access to medicines is a core obligation. Medicines must be affordable, acceptable, accessible, of good quality, and made available without discrimination. 62. Access to medicines is a complex and multidimensional issue calling for holistic solutions. Measures must be put in place to improve supply chains, address the underlying social determinants of health, promote policy coherence premised on the primacy of human rights over international trade, investment and intellectual property regimes and to ensure that health delivery systems are appropriate to those they serve. Inequities must be eliminated, including high costs borne by patients in many low and middle-income countries. 63. People’s agency and empowerment should be improved to enhance access to medicines especially for the poor. Procedural safeguards like participation and access to information must be upheld. Evidence-based guidelines and policies to promote access to appropriate health-care services for women would help realize their right to health, and an increase in paediatric formulations would strengthen access for children. Addressing stigma and discrimination and ensuring equitable access and effective treatment would help realize the rights of people living with HIV. 18