Issue Framing: Making Your Concerns a Global Priority

One of the challenges stakeholders in global public health negotiations face is how to focus media, public and policy-maker attention on a specific public health concern in a way that motivates action. Whether the issue is the threat posed by a new virus (e.g., HIV/AIDS, SARS, H5N1/avian flu, H1N1/swine flu), the impact of the WTO’s TRIPS agreement on the access to essential medicines, or the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, defining the issue in a compelling manner is a key first step in any negotiating process.