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WAIVER
FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE TRIPS AGREEMENT FOR THE PREVENTION,
CONTAINMENT AND TREATMENT OF COVID-19
On
2nd October India and South Africa made a joint
submission (IP/C/W/669) to the World Trade Organization seeking
a waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement (patents,
trade secrets, copyright and industrial designs) in relation to the
containment, prevention and treatment of COVID-19. This proposal is
now co-sponsored by 62 developing countries (the Africa Group, the
Least Developed Country Group, Bolivia, Fiji, Indonesia, Pakistan,
Mongolia, Vanuatu and Venezuela) and has received global support from
most of the other developing countries and the international community.
Technical
Briefing by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) as well as this video
provides information on the importance of the waiver from TRIPS obligations.
On
4 May, a High Level Dialogue on TRIPS Waiver: If Not Now, Then When?
was organized by Third World Network, Health Action
International, MSF Access Campaign, Public Citizen and Public Eye.
See video
Below
is a list of interventions by the co-sponsors, statements and op-eds supporting the waiver proposal and news reports about the proposal.
Interventions of Co-sponsors of Proposal
Statements/Letters by international organizations, civil society, academics etc.
- Dr. Tedros statement WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the WHO, WIPO, WTO Joint Technical Symposium on the COVID-19 Pandemic: Response, preparedness, resilience (16 December 2022)
- 50 MEPs holding European Commission Vice-President & EU Council members to account on support for TRIPS decision extension to therapeutics + diagnostics: https://twitter.com/peoplesvaccine/status/1603081092591980552 & https://www.groen.be/letter_to_support_a_wide_trips_waiver
- Statement by Amnesty International (15 December 2022)
- “U.S. Torpedoes Extension of WTO TRIPS Decision to Include Tests and Treatments and Hides Behind the Façade of Needing to Study the Obvious” by Brook Baker (08 December 2022)
- “The International Community Must Prioritize COVID Treatment and Test Access”, Joseph Stiglitz and Lori Wallach (14 November 2022)
- TRIPS Waiver: Civil Society Open Letter to the WTO DG (16 February 2022)
- Open letter to heads of governments (UK, Germany, Switzerland and EU from over 375 trade unions, representing over 12 million transport workers from 118 countries (International Transport Workers' Federation) (14 October 2021)
- Joint Appeal by 388 Members of the European Parliament and of European National Parliaments Urging the EU and its Member States to Support a TRIPS Waiver (18 April)
- Former Heads of State/Nobel Laureates Call on President Biden To Waive IP Rules for COVID Vaccines (18 April)
- Southern CSO Letter to Developed Countries (16 February)
- The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) - representing 200 million members of 332 affiliates in 163 countries and territories (01 March)
- United States Civil Society Organizations (26 February)
- Japanese Civil Society Organizations (17 February)
- UNI Global Union - representing more than 20 million workers from over 150 different countries (16 February)
- Korean Civil Society Organizations (03 February)
- Swiss Civil Society Organizations (27 January)
- Declaration from more than 100 European Parliament members calling on EC and Member States not to block TRIPS waiver
- Philippines CSO letter to German ambassador (11 February)
- Philippines CSO letter to EU ambassador (08 February)
- Waiver support letter from the HIV Legal Network to the Canadian government (16 November)
- Open Letter from 37 Members of the Scottish Parliament (9 December)
- Covid Vaccine Petition to WTO signed by more than 900 000 individuals (9 December)
- Senators from Pakistan, Colombia, the Philippines and Malaysia (8 December)
- Canadian Union Public Employees (8 December)
- The National Union of Public and General Employees, Canada (4 December)
- Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions and Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (4 December)
- Public Services International a Global Union Federation of more than 700 trade unions representing 30 million workers in 154 countries (4 December)
- IndustriALL
Global Union - representing 50 million workers in 140 countries
in the mining, energy and manufacturing sectors (25 November)
- 100
UK parliamentarians urge UK government to support waiver (23
November)
- Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (19 November)
- Amnesty
International
- Public Health Association Australia (13 November)
- African Commission of Human and Peoples' Rights (13 November)
- Global
Development Policy Center’s Working Group on Trade Treaties and
Access to Medicines (12 November)
- Statement
by UN Human Rights Experts (9 November)
- World
Health Organization (9 November)
- World Health
Organization (17 October)
- H.E.
Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, Permanent Observer of the Holy See
(16 October)
- Chilean
House of Representatives Resolution (15 October)
- More
than 400 civil society organizations (15 October)
- Brazilian
civil society organizations (15 October)
- https://www.uaem.org/carta_da_sociedade_brasileira
- Joint
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) (15 October)
- Progressive
International (14 October)
- UNITAID
(13 October)
- Drugs
for Neglected Diseases initiative (12 October)
- South
Africa-Affiliated Academics, Researchers and Teachers Letter to
President Ramaphosa (12 October)
- South
Centre (7 October)
- Médecins
Sans Frontières (7 October)
Opinion
Pieces
Submissions to WTO Concerning Waiver Proposal
TWN
News Reports
- WTO: Dangers of "take-it-or-leave-it" compromise outcome on TRIPS waiver (24 Feb 22)
- WTO fails to finalize TRIPS waiver and response to pandemic (23 Feb 22)
- North blocks India's request for virtual ministerial on TRIPS waiver (14 Jan 22)
- WTO: GC chair to hold talks on virtual ministerial on TRIPS component (12 Jan 22)
- US, EU, India, South Africa hold talks on TRIPS waiver compromise (14 Dec 21)
- WTO: GC chair, DG call for pandemic response, fisheries deal by end-February (10 Dec 21)
- Developing countries call for concluding work on TRIPS waiver (07 Dec 21)
- Pressure mounts on WTO to show its "human face" on TRIPS waiver (02 Dec 21)
- EU & allies adopt "diversionary" tactics on TRIPS waiver at WTO (11 Nov 21)
- COVID-19: UN experts call for urgent action on universal access to vaccines (21 Oct 21)
- US proposes "peace clause" for disputes concerning IPRs at WTO (21 Oct 21)
- Intellectual Property Monopolies Perpetuate Inequitable Access to COVID-19 Therapeutics (19 Oct 21)
- Need to de-link TRIPS waiver from other MC12 issues (19 Oct 21)
- Fears of "take-it-or-leave-it" deal on fisheries subsidies ahead of MC12 / US TRIPS Waiver position (18 Oct 21)
- South Africa's President calls for delivering on TRIPS waiver at MC12 (05 Oct 21)
- EU, Switzerland, UK continue opposition, amid support for TRIPS waiver (16 Sept 21)
- Today High Level Dialogue -TRIPS Waiver (13 Sept 21)
- TRIPS waiver proposal being undermined by EU at WTO (10 Aug 21)
- Co-sponsors remain upbeat on progressing on TRIPS waiver at WTO (18 Jul 21)
- Progress in TRIPS waiver talks despite new hurdles created by EU (08 Jul 21)
- Developed countries unlikely to deliver on mandated issues at MC12 (29 Jun 21)
- Developing countries remain upbeat on TRIPS waiver negotiations (21 Jun 21)
- WTO Members agree to text-based negotiations on revised TRIPS waiver (11 Jun 21)
- EU proposal seeks to derail TRIPS waiver discussions at WTO (08 Jun 21)
- Revised TRIPS waiver bolsters demand for text-based talks at WTO (03 Jun 21)
- Co-sponsors of TRIPS waiver proposal call for solidarity at WTO (19 May 21)
- Door opens for TRIPS waiver textual negotiations (12 May 21)
- WTO members welcome US decision on TRIPS waiver (10 May 21)
- In “monumental” decision, US expresses support for TRIPS waiver (07 May 21)
- USTR plans to visit Geneva to discuss TRIPS waiver (04 May 21)
- Big Pharma to block TRIPS waiver at WTO, citing China & Russia (27 Apr 21)
- TRIPS waiver proposal being held hostage on “ideological” grounds (24 Apr 21)
- Vaccine equity event enabled "frank" discussions, claims WTO DG (21 Apr 21)
- WTO DG's vaccine event marked by sharply differing perspectives (17 Apr 21)
- CSOs challenge DG’s “third way”, as USTR discusses TRIPS waiver (16 Apr 21)
- WTO-TRIPS waiver: "Third Way" Set to Reinforce Status Quo? (12 Apr 21)
- UPDATED: Attempts to slow down discussions on TRIPS waiver at WTO (10 Apr 21)
- Leaders want to address future pandemics while ignoring COVID-19 (31 Mar 21)
- UN: HRC calls for equitable & universal access to COVID-19 vaccines (25 Mar 21)
- Over 250 CSOs & researchers join call in support of TRIPS waiver (24 Mar 21)
- International Research Organizations Support WTO TRIPS Waiver for COVID-19 (22 Mar 21)
- WHO DG criticizes countries "putting lives at risk" in Covid-19 fight (16 Mar 21)
- Strong support for TRIPS waiver amidst opposition by Big Pharma (12 Mar 21)
- Seven countries urge WTO DG to hold direct talks with Big Pharma (11 Mar 21)
- WTO DG's "third way" to fight COVID-19 a tough sell (10 Mar 21)
- WTO DG meets Big Pharma and opts for voluntary licenses (10 Mar 21)
- COVID-19: WHO DG calls for triggering of TRIPS waiver at WTO (09 Mar 21)
- South countries demand text-based negotiations on TRIPS waiver (03 Mar 21)
- Two-thirds of WTO members issue call for a TRIPS waiver (25 Feb 21)
- US lawmakers urge Biden to support TRIPS waiver proposal at WTO (22 Feb 21)
- Developing countries call for text-based negotiations on TRIPS waiver (08 Feb 21)
- "Global approach" based on TRIPS waiver needed to combat Covid-19 (29 Jan 21)
- COVID-19: Vaccines war underscores need for TRIPS waiver at WTO (29 Jan 21)
- Proponents of TRIPS waiver call for text-based negotiations (25 Jan 21)
- COVID-19: Global "moral failure" in distribution of vaccines, says WHO DG (20 Jan 21)
- Proponents of TRIPS waiver issue documents to facilitate discussions (19 Jan 21)
- Opponents of TRIPS waiver asked to respond to questions by proponents (15 Jan 21)
- TRIPS waiver gains more support despite efforts to stall its passage (14 Dec 20)
- US & allies adopt "diversionary" tactics to block TRIPS waiver (08 Dec 20)
- Developed
countries continue to block TRIPS waiver proposal (24 Nov 20)
- TRIPS
Council to resume discussions next week on TRIPS waiver (16
Nov 20)
- COVID-19:
Licensing deals on vaccines reinforce need for TRIPS waiver
(12 Nov 20)
- Battle-lines
being drawn over upcoming discussion on TRIPS waiver (07 Nov
20)
- South
Africa, India strongly rebut arguments against TRIPS waiver
(20 Oct 20)
- Proposal
for TRIPS waiver secures strong support from South (20 Oct 20)
- India,
South Africa seek TRIPS waiver to combat COVID-19 (06 Oct 20)
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