‘Several developing countries have expressed serious concerns at the World Trade Organization about rising “vaccine nationalism” and attempts to restrict affordable access to vaccines and therapeutics for combating the Covid-19 pandemic, as the worsening health crisis has continued to ravage countries by claiming nearly 700,000 lives around the world.
‘At the WTO’s TRIPS Council meeting that ended on 3 August, members elected South Africa’s trade envoy Ambassador Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peter as the new chair of the TRIPS Council.
‘The meeting witnessed sharp discussions on “IP measures in the context of the Covid-19,” “intellectual property and the 1998 e-commerce work program,” and “intellectual property and public interest: beyond access to medicines and medical technologies towards a more holistic approach to TRIPS flexibilities”, among others, said a participant, who asked not to be quoted.’
Read here (Third World Network, August 7, 2020)
