Pandemic response (S4 - Ep3)
Let's talk trade by WTO
English - July 28, 2022 06:00 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MB - ★★★★ - 3 ratingsEntrepreneurship Business Government trade world trade organization world trade wto Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
It was the most hotly debated issue in the run-up to MC12 and at the very last minute, negotiations nearly broke down because of a footnote. The issue was the WTO's intellectual property response to the COVID-19 pandemic, commonly known as the TRIPS waiver. There is good news to report in this episode as WTO members agreed at MC12 to waive certain requirements under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) making it easier for developing countries to produce and export COVID-19 vaccines.
Anabel González, WTO Deputy Director-General and Ambassador Lansana Gberie of Sierra Leone, the chair of the TRIPS Council, talk about how WTO members adopted a problem-solving approach on the waiver issue and agreed on a strategy to ensure trade can support the expanded and diversified production of essential goods needed in the fight against COVID-19 and future pandemics.