WTO releases draft COVID-19 response after ‘very difficult process’
The World Trade Organization (WTO) has issued draft texts relating to its IP response to the COVID-19.
The development was confirmed in a statement released on June 10.
The move comes after the pandemic raised concerns over the WTO’s rules on IP rights and whether they are fit for purpose in the response to global health crises.
Possible approval
The pair of texts have been sent to trade ministers attending the organisation’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) this week for review and possible approval.
The draft text on the WTO response to the pandemic sets out a series of trade-related pledges and objectives to support increased resilience to COVID-19 and future pandemics.
These include general as well as specific provisions relating to trade facilitation, regulatory cooperation, IP, services, food security and aspects of future work.
Commenting on the development, Ambassador Dacio Castillo of Honduras, said:
“Through the hard work and substantive contributions of delegations, in just a matter of three weeks, we have transformed the merged text of various proposals to a fully formed document for ministerial consideration at MC12.”
The final shot
During an informal meeting of the Council on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), WTO members agreed to wrap up the negotiations for an IP response to the pandemic based on the outcome document circulated to members on May 3.
“What you have before you now is a text that will be submitted to ministers, TRIPs Council chair Ambassador Lansana Gberie of Sierra Leone told members: “We have come to the brink of our endurance, intelligence and creativity and we will give our ministers a chance to also take a shot, the final shot.”
A difficult process
Over the past few weeks, the chair carried out text-based negotiations with delegations and group coordinators.
According to the WTO, “intense work was done through textual proposals and suggestions collected since the beginning of the negotiations”.
Commenting on the development, WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala described the process as “very difficult.”
“I know that for all of you it has been a tough time but we have done the best we can for now,” she noted.
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