UN chief extends support to India, South Africa's initiative of waiving TRIPS for Covid products

ndia has worked with South Africa and other partners at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to seek a relaxation in the norms of the TRIPS

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has extended support to India and South Africa's initiative at the WTO to waive intellectual property protection for Covid-19 vaccines and products, though he cautioned that "technology transfer" must be backed up by "technical support".

India has worked with South Africa and other partners at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to seek a relaxation in the norms of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement to ensure quick and affordable access to vaccines and medicines for developing countries during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Well, my belief is that we need to have a comprehensive programme. One is, of course, to address the problems of intellectual property and I support the initiative that was taken by South Africa and by India in relation to TRIPS, waving TRIPS regulations in the context of the World Trade Organization,” Guterres said during a press conference at the G7 Summit in London on Friday.

Guterres was responding on whether he supports the moves to waive patents related to Covid-19 vaccines.

However, the UN chief added "that is not enough" and there is need for strong cooperation between governments and the pharmaceutical industry in order to make sure that licences are available, "but also in order to make sure that the technology transfers and the technical support is available. Because if not, the fact that licence is available will not necessarily solve the problem."

The US has backed the initiative by India and South Africa at the WTO, seen as a breakthrough in the global fight against the deadly pandemic, raising hopes of expanding supply of vaccines at affordable rates for developing/underdeveloped nations.

Guterres added that it is also essential to look seriously into supply chains.

"It's a very complex supply chain, so we really need a concerted coordination among all countries that can produce vaccines, or [those who] will be able to do so when properly helped, and, interacting with the pharmaceutical industry to make sure that we have the best possible results," he said.

Guterres explained that companies could make reasonable profit and simultaneously help increase the capacity of production.

"Obviously, the questions of intellectual property are important in this regard. I understand that the companies need to be supported in the point of view of… having guarantees that their investments…, effectively, become credible. So, I am not asking for any measure to have expropriation or whatever.

"What I'm asking is for fairness in the way things are managed and for a mechanism of cooperation that will allow for companies to make the reasonable profits they are supposed to make, but, at the same time, for the capacity of production to be doubled and for all those that have the capacity to do these vaccines to have the conditions to so," he said.

Guterres stressed that vaccines should be considered as global public goods and they must be available and affordable to all.

"There is no way to defeat a virus that spreads in developing countries like wildfire and that can risk to mutate. Mutations abide by (Charles) Darwin’s laws of evolution which means it's the worst virus that tends to survive and to multiply and one day eventually to become immune to vaccines."

Guterres emphasised that it is in the interest of everybody that everybody gets vaccinated sooner rather than later.

"Unfortunately, now it has been very unequal and very unfair, the way vaccination is taking place in the world, but I'm encouraged by the announcements that were made in the run up for this G7 meeting," he said.

The US has promised to share 500 million doses of coronavirus vaccines with countries facing shortage of doses. The UK has made a commitment of 100 million doses. Similar promises, albeit smaller consignments, have been made by other G7 countries.

Further, the International Monetary Fund with the World Bank has announced a USD 50-billion programme to support vaccination in developing countries.

Guterres noted that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that he expects that the G7 will be able to reach 1 billion doses by the commitments of the different countries, a development he welcomed.

"But it's important to say that we need to recognise that we are at war with the virus, a virus that is very dangerous that is causing tremendous suffering and destroying many of the perspectives of progress in the global economy. To defeat the virus, and to be able to boost our weapons against the virus -- and the most important of those weapons is vaccination -- to boost those weapons we need to act with the logic, with the sense of urgency, and with the priorities of a war economy. And we are still far from getting there."

The UN Chief stressed that there is a need for a global vaccination plan, and "we need those that have power to be in charge of the design and implementation of that global vaccination plan."

"This global vaccination plan would of course have to deal with questions of intellectual property, questions of licensing, but also with the supply chains to make sure there is no disruption in the supply chain. Let's not forget that, for each vaccine, there are probably more than 100 components produced in different parts of the world," he said.