The World Health Organization says it's time to ensure people in developing countries will have equal access to the benefits of genetic technology and treatments.

Although the major medical advances from genetic research are many years away, a new report by WHO aims to narrow the gap between rich and poor countries.

The report recommends a new global health research fund starting with $3 billion US for genetic research. Half of the money would go to scientists studying new vaccines and drugs for diseases that are common in the developing world, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Dr. David Weatherall of Oxford University in England is the lead author of the WHO report. He says pharmaceutical companies own much of the technology and they must be persuaded to share it with the developing world.

"I think the only way is if governments really pressurize them or help them through tax incentives and things like that," said Weatherall.

He added governments in developing countries must also prepare to deal with ethical and regulatory issues such as ownership and access to genetic databases.

The Joint Centre for Bio-Ethics at the University of Toronto signed a formal relationship with WHO this week. Dr. Peter Singer heads the centre and applauds the report.

"If the recommendations of this report aren't followed it's very likely that genomics will play out as designer drugs for people in rich countries with people in developing countries left behind," said Singer, who was not involved in the report.

Singer said Canada is well-placed to begin championing health diplomacy when it hosts the G-8 in Calgary next month.