Swazi Observer

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PROPOSAL FOR WTO TO EXEMPT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

By Sibusiso Dlamini | 2021-01-24

India and South Africa, co-sponsored by Eswatini, has called on the WTO to exempt member countries from enforcing some patents, and other Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) under the agreement on Trade related aspects of Intellectual Property rights known as TRIPS, for a limited period of time.

It is to ensure that IPR's do not restrict the rapid scaling up of manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

The Ambassador and Permanent representative of India to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Brajendra Navnit has written a letter explaining to the world why it is important to enforce the waiver proposal co-sponsored by the kingdom.

While a few members have raised concerns about the proposal such as the United Kingdom (UK), a large proportion of the WTO supports the proposal and has also received the backing of various international organisation’s, multilateral agencies and global civil society.

"Unprecedented times call for unorthodox measures. We saw this in the efficacy of strict lockdowns for a limited period, as a policy intervention in curtailing the spread of the pandemic.

The situation appears to be grimmer than predicted and we have already lost seven per cent of economic output from the baseline scenario projection in 2019.

It translates to a loss of more than USD 6 trillion in global GDP," he said. Navnit further explained that with the emergence of successful vaccines, the biggest problem task was ensuring that it is accessible and affordable to the global population.

"The fundamental question is whether there will be enough of COVID-19 vaccines to go around. As things stand, even the most optimistic of scenarios today cannot ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics for the majority of the population in rich and poor countries by the end of 2021.

This is a pandemic - an extraordinary, once in a lifetime event - that has mobilised the collaboration of multiple stakeholders. It is knowledge and skills held by scientist, researchers, public health experts and universities that has facilitated development of vaccines in record time.

The adoption of the waiver will also re-establish WTO's credibility and show that multilateral trading systems continue to be relevant and can deliver in times of a crisis.

Now is the time for WTO members to act and adopt the waiver to save lives and help in getting the economy back on the revival path quickly," he said.

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