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Reclaim Education: Actions & Inspiration

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Edinburgh’s Medical Breakthrough

Edinburgh is to become the first British university to help make cheap medicines available to the developing world by licensing research to pharmaceutical companies only on condition that poorer communities get life-saving drugs at cost price. We spoke to P&Per Adam Ramsay, President of Edinburgh University’s Student Association, to find out more.

What’s the problem?

One in three people worldwide does not have access to basic medicines; 80% of deaths from chronic disease in 2005 were in low and middle income countries; 10 million children die every year because of lack of access to the drugs they need.

In some cases, the vital medicines are not available to the people who need them because they are too expensive; in others, there has been little research into possible treatments. Diseases such as Human African Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) affect 1 billion people around the world – mostly in poorer countries. There is currently little effort being made to find effective treatments for this and other ‘diseases of poverty’, and companies would rather invest in developing drugs that they can sell to wealthy western consumers – there is more money to be made from slimming pills than saving lives.

On the other hand, when the research has been done, and the treatments exist, they will often be sold by companies at prices far beyond the reach of those who need them in the Global South. As one of the world’s top medical research universities, Edinburgh is an institution where important medical breakthroughs really can happen.

For example, 20 years ago Edinburgh University developed a Hepatitis B vaccination, which could have helped to eradicate the disease. Instead, it was sold to a drugs company, who now have a monopoly on the vaccine. This can also be the case with conditions such as HIV, heart disease and diabetes, where treatments are widely available to those in the west, but are unaffordable to those in need in the Global South.

And the solution…?

The campaign has two major objectives:

1. A change in our licensing policy, so that drugs companies would only get a license to produce any new medicines if they made them affordable to the people who need them most.

2. To get more research done into neglected diseases, such as African Sleeping Sickness. These diseases get neglected because they are not deemed profitable, as those suffering from them are often among the world’s poorest people.

The number of patents held by universities more than doubled from 1991 to 2005: they now have the opportunity to have a major impact on the lives of people in the Global South. As a major research institution, Edinburgh is one such place.

Our campaign was built on an existing WHO (World Health Organisation) campaign to provide essential medicines for all. A motion was put forward by medical students at the Students’ Association Annual General Meeting in November 2008. 300 students came along to support it. The vote was unanimous in favour of the new licensing policy.

The new policy will mean that the rights to future breakthroughs will be beneficial not just for profit-driven corporations, but for potentially millions of people throughout the world, who will now be able to afford the medicines they need.

Although there has not yet been any significant application of the policy, over the coming decade it is likely to be put to good use, given Edinburgh’s pretty prolific research profile. There are similar activities going on in Leeds and Cambridge in the UK, and throughout the USA.

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Roehampton .vs. Shell

In May 2009, students chained themselves to a university building in peaceful protest over Roehampton University hosting Shell on campus. The aim of the protest was to stress the need for an active democracy within Roehampton University, and to demonstrate the anger over the fact that Shell, a major company currently under trial over the murder of several individuals around the world, were allowed to hold a Shell Step recruitment event at the University. We spoke to P&Per Lewis Bassett, one of the students involved, to find out more.

What made you take this action?

We thought if our campus promotes itself as a ‘Centre of Excellence for Human Rights’, then what are Shell doing here the same month they are due to appear in court for their complicity in the hanging of Nigerian activists? Shell still continue to aggressively exploit the globe for profit. In Nigeria, they continue to burn off gas that they see as unprofitable to export. It’s seriously ruining the local environment and it goes to show that even in the face of a climate and energy crisis, this corporation’s only interest is short term profit.

We also thought why shouldn’t WE, students and staff, have a say about who comes onto our campus. Shell on campus doesn’t make sense, so we thought what can we do about it? We decided to lock ourselves onto the human rights building with banners reading ‘Shell on campus- where’s the justice?’ and Ken Saro-Wiwa’s last words, ‘I may be killed but my ideas will not die’.

What were you seeking to achieve?

We didn’t want to stop the meeting going ahead, but just to show people how crazy it is that Shell, with the record they have, is invited to a campus that promotes human rights. We wanted to activate the student body.

What actions/tactics were employed and who was involved?

We wanted to be bold and provocative. We got onto the balcony and that’s just not been done before. Then we seriously exploited access to online networks using videos and pics. Doing things online isn’t that useful in terms of getting people to actually do something away from their laptop but we needed to start a debate and build some sort of ground swell.

What has been the result of these actions?

We have had meetings with the Union Sabbaticals, and we are looking to make our Student Union Council meetings become more open and active. We are trying to build and at the same time promote a platform where students can have a meaningful voice. Along with this, it’s about trying to establish lines of communication with the Careers Department, for example, so that they consult the Union before they host events like this - especially if they don’t want us to lock ourselves to the roof again!

At the time, Roehampton Students for an Active Democracy released the following communiqué:

We fundamentally disagree with the planned meeting taking place due to Shell’s appalling record on human rights and the environment. This is a peaceful protest inspired by the movements we have studied in Human Rights and who have brought about progressive change throughout our history. We do not intend to endanger ourselves or anybody else and it is not our aim to cause damage to University property.

Whilst we would encourage the university to research more into the business practices of Shell and hopefully choose more ethical work placement alternatives, we are not against Roehampton students participating in the Shell Step program. However we do object to the University’s hosting of such a company on campus. A company like Shell that boasts profits in the billions can clearly afford to find an alternative venue anywhere across greater London.

How a University that places such emphasis on human rights and social justice both through the courses it facilitates and the resources it dedicates to CRUCIBLE (a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for Human Rights) can host companies like Shell is inexplicable, and should be a question that is raised at all levels. Would Enron, Halliburton, Blackwater or BAE be granted the same invitation? We hope that our protest can serve as a catalyst for this debate.

We believe that ‘Human Rights’ are something that cannot simply exist as an abstract concept, removed from reality on the pages of books. Nor are they merely something for academics to study, theorists to philosophise about, big business to commodify or politicians to legislate on. They are premised on the all too real, lived experience of people all around the world, many of whom often find themselves at the mercy of companies such as Shell. As such, unless we as a University actively engage in their struggle and confront human rights’ abuses wherever possible, then Roehampton cannot possibly label itself a ‘Centre of Excellence for Human Rights’.

This engagement must take the form of challenging companies such as Shell when they wish to use OUR shared collective space to hold meetings. In defiance and hope, in the spirit of and in solidarity with the Ogoni people of the Niger delta, and oppressed people around the world whose human rights have been ignored, stripped from them or appropriated by politicians, businessmen or academics.

Roehampton Students for an Active Democracy

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Scottish Universities’ Renewable Energy Conference

The Story So Far: Some engineering students in Edinburgh went to a careers fair about renewable energy but all the companies on offer were oil and gas firms. So they asked their careers fair about organising an event for genuine renewables companies. They were pretty much ignored, and so decided to take matters into their own hands, organising their own day-conference in the Students’ Union.

I’m an engineer, and this year I became fed up of the same big companies turning up to every careers fair just because they can afford it. So along with some other engineers, I decided to do something about.

Without the university’s backing, it was pretty tough work. We called over 60 renewable energy companies and despite only costing £20 to have a stall, only nine were interested. But when the companies got to the event, they were all overwhelmed by the turnout, with one company commenting ‘it gave us the opportunity to meet with exactly the kind of students we want to target.’

It wasn’t about pissing off Shell and the like, but about offering an insight into an industry that has incredible potential but is obviously being under-valued by the university. As such, we publicised the conference not solely as a careers fair but as a source of information and a chance to meet experts in the field.

Overall the conference was a great success. The People & Planet speakers made a significant contribution and really added another dimension to the event. It’ll be even bigger and better next year and I hope more societies can get involved.

Michael Woodrow, Engineering Student, University of Edinburgh

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