What is the WTO? by Noam Chomsky

20 May 2022

Do you have a minute for Chomsky’s word? Let him tell you about the #WTO

The decisions made there have a direct effect on how you live your life.

As we speak, WTO members are gathered to discuss the #TRIPSwaiver in the lead-up to the 12th Ministerial Conference.

In a battle of former colonial powers, we have on one side the EU, Switzerland, UK and the US, and on the other, India, South Africa & over 65 developing countries. The global North has the upper hand and is leveraging all its power so the other side forfeits.

The Frankensteinian proposal on the table (to get the reference, go back a few posts) is a complete departure from the South Africa+India’s original text (w669) and is actually very similar to a European Union proposal that is unworkable for global South countries for of the following reasons:

❌ It DOESN’T include tests and drugs, only vaccines

This is not enough!

With waning immunity from vaccines, the need for COVID pills & tests is critical.

❌ It has eligibility criteria that would leave out important countries who could be potential manufacturers. Supply is still an issue & we need to break the bottleneck monopolies so we produce as much as possible and end the artificial scarcity that’s dominated the market and produced obscene profits for #BigPharma.

❌ It actually adds new intellectual property restrictive conditions, a global market tool of oppression akin to Colonial taxation and imposed austerity.

Join us in our rally during the WTO’s text based negotiations leading up to the Ministerial Conference (MC12).

#Fem4PeoplesVaccine #Feminist #EndCOVIDMonopolies #NoamChomsky