Regulations and Laws promoting health and well-being goals (SDG3) in WHO South-East Asian countries

All countries of the WHO South-East Asia Region are making every e ort to accelerateprogress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 by 2030 for the health andwell-being of their populations. National legal frameworks help to attain these health goals,including universal health coverage (UHC), implementation of health policies, and theapplication of the International Health Regulations (2005).This publication comprehensively maps the health-related legal support envisaged for UHC,including the national regulations and laws promoting the achievement of the health goals by2030. It identi es seminal court decisions and best practices for achieving SDG3 targets. It isan evidence-based resource for all stakeholders involved in the implementation and follow-upof SDG3 on the interplay between public health, innovation and intellectual property for theachievement of UHC and SDG3 targets.

Legislation an essential tool for ensuring access to medicines policy goals

Effective national legislation is critical to support the activities of a MedicinesRegulatory Authority. However, the law is an under-recognized mechanismfor managing issues in the implementation of access to medicines and othermedicines policy goals. Regulations are a more flexible tool, have legal effect andthe advantage that they can be created or changed without the need to go to theParliament. Closer collaboration between the health and legal sectors is importantas is political commitment for enforcement of the law. Some regional case studiesillustrate the opportunities to use the law as an effective tool to implement medicinepolicies and to meet access to medicine challenges.

Human cloning: Eastern Mediterranean Region perspective

Recent advances in genomics and biotechnology have ushered in a new era in health development. Therapeutic cloning possesses enormous potential for revolutionizing medical and therapeutic techniques. Cloning technology, however, is perceived as having the potential for reproductive cloning, which raises serious ethical and moral concerns. It is important that the Islamic countries come to a consensus on this vital issue. Developing science and technology for better health is a religious and moral obligation. There is an urgent need for Muslim scholars to discuss the issue of stem cell research and cloning rationally; such dialogue will not only consider the scientific merits but also the moral, ethical and legal implications