ET BureauAfghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan are among 57 countries that have backed a joint proposal by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organization seeking a temporary waiver in global intellectual property agreements to ensure uninterrupted flow of vaccines amid the ongoing pandemic.
However, China, the US, the EU, Japan, Australia and the UK continued to oppose the proposal – floated in October – at a meeting held Tuesday.
“Our proposal now has the support of at least 50 members. It is gaining traction among the membership,” said an official.
The proposal calls for a waiver for all WTO members of certain provisions of copyrights, industrial designs, patents and protection of undisclosed information in the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights agreement for prevention, containment or treatment of Covid-19.
It seeks to avoid barriers to timely access to affordable medical products including vaccines and medicines or to scaling-up of research, development, manufacturing and supply of essential medical products.
While India has criticised the continuing questions posed by developed countries and called it a way of intentionally delaying the start of text-based negotiations, South Africa said that the model of donation and philanthropic expediency cannot buy equality.
“The very members who dismissed our argument that there would be shortages of vaccines and other equipment are themselves facing shortages in their jurisdictions even after having successfully negotiated advanced purchase agreements,” a Geneva-based official said, quoting India’s stance.
An oral status report on the issue will be submitted to the WTO General Council next week. WTO director-general designate Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said that for the global economy to return to sustained growth, the global community must get a tight grip on the pandemic by intensifying cooperation to make equitable and affordable access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics a key plank of the recovery.
However, China, the US, the EU, Japan, Australia and the UK continued to oppose the proposal – floated in October – at a meeting held Tuesday.
“Our proposal now has the support of at least 50 members. It is gaining traction among the membership,” said an official.
The proposal calls for a waiver for all WTO members of certain provisions of copyrights, industrial designs, patents and protection of undisclosed information in the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights agreement for prevention, containment or treatment of Covid-19.
It seeks to avoid barriers to timely access to affordable medical products including vaccines and medicines or to scaling-up of research, development, manufacturing and supply of essential medical products.
While India has criticised the continuing questions posed by developed countries and called it a way of intentionally delaying the start of text-based negotiations, South Africa said that the model of donation and philanthropic expediency cannot buy equality.
“The very members who dismissed our argument that there would be shortages of vaccines and other equipment are themselves facing shortages in their jurisdictions even after having successfully negotiated advanced purchase agreements,” a Geneva-based official said, quoting India’s stance.
An oral status report on the issue will be submitted to the WTO General Council next week. WTO director-general designate Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said that for the global economy to return to sustained growth, the global community must get a tight grip on the pandemic by intensifying cooperation to make equitable and affordable access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics a key plank of the recovery.
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