Ahead of the WTO General Council on Feb 23, 2022, two hundred CSOs from across the world demanded WTO's Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Deputy Director Anabel González a bold stance and meaningful outcomes during negotiations in regards to the TRIPS Waiver.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging the UK Government to address international vaccine inequity. The letter asks the UK Government to join over 100 countries in supporting a temporary waiver of obligations to protect Intellectual Property for COVID-19 vaccines.

85 jurists from around the world argue that States who oppose waiving intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics are infringing their legal obligations stated in different international treaties and urge, on the occasion of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, that Member States cooperate to ensure the full realization of comprehensive access to health.

Merck and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) announced a voluntary licensing agreement to supply its COVID-19 pill, molnupiravir (MOL), to poor and selected middle-income countries. However, a close examination of the MSD-MPP deal reveals the use of voluntary licensing for rent-seeking purposes, according to the Third World Network.

Six UN independent experts sent a total of 44 letters to G7 and G20 States, the European Union, and the World Trade Organization, as well as pharmaceutical companies for urgent collective action to comply with human rights and achieve equal and universal access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Conceived at the start of the pandemic, Covax pursued lofty goals, promising fair access to Covid-19 vaccines for every country worldwide, and to give them free to the poorest. For richer nations, Covax said it would act as an insurance policy. For poorer ones, a lifeline.

Communication tabled at the WTO to explain the basis of the waiver summarizes the interventions made by the TRIPS waiver's co-sponsor countries - the African Group, Bolivia, Egypt, Eswatini, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Low Income Countries group, Malaysia, Maldives, Mozambique, Mongolia, Namibia, Pakistan, South Africa, Vanuatu, Venezuela & Zimbabwe.

U.S. Global COVID-19 Response Coordinator Gayle Smith today urged Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson to share technology with manufacturers in developing countries as part of an effort to boost global vaccine production in the near term through regional manufacturing hubs.

Letter calls on governments of the UK, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and the European Union to drop their opposition to the TRIPS Waiver proposal at the WTO and to support the waiver. Co-authored by Dr Hyo Yoon Kang (Kent Law School), Dr Siva Thambisetty (LSE), Dr Aisling Macmahon (Maynooth), Dr Luke McDonagh (LSE) and Prof Graham Dutfield (Leeds).

Civil Society organizations call on the European Commission to reconsider its communications to the TRIPS Council and the European Union not to disrupt discussions on the TRIPS Waiver proposal, acknowledge the European Parliament’s opinion and constructively engage in text-base negotiations of the TRIPS Waiver proposal.

European Commission Press Release on its proposal for a multilateral trade action plan to expand the production of Covid-19 vaccines and treatments, and ensure universal and fair access. The EC proposes a set of commitments to be taken by WTO Members, including on Intellectual Property Rights.

MSF Access Campaign Briefing Document includes a very useful Q&A section on the proposal of a TRIPS Waiver and what is in the India and South Africa proposal to the WTO.

The TRIPS Council of the WTO circulated the revised decision text on “Waiver from Certain Provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the Prevention, Containment and Treatment of Covid-19” after the request of the delegations of the African Group, the LDC Group and 16 other member States.

The Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition released a 10-points Position Statement on Covid-19 and the Role of Intellectual Property in the development of pharmaceuticals, clearly siding with Big Pharma and the German government's position against the TRIPS Waiver.

The Indian government welcomes the statement of the US government of 5th May announcing its support for the India and South Africa proposal to the WTO of a relaxation in the norms of the agreement on TRIPS, to ensure quick and affordable access to vaccines and medicines for developing countries.

Statement from US Ambassador Katherine Tai announcing the Biden-Harris Administration’s support for waiving intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines.

The Appeal calls EU leaders to urgently reconsider their position and support the TRIPS waiver proposal to protect peoples’ rights to life, health, and adequate standard of living.

The president of the European Commission announced an agreement with Big Pharma that will bring the total doses delivered to 250 million doses in the second quarter of 2021. These doses will be distributed pro-rata to the population, among all the Member States of the European Union.

The former Heads of State and Government and Nobel Laureates declare grave concern by the very slow progress in scaling up global COVID-19 vaccine access and inoculation in low- and middle-income countries.

60+ US-based groups urge Biden’s administration to announce in the fiscal year 2022 budget an ambitious global vaccine manufacturing program to end the pandemic and build vaccine infrastructure for the future.

The grassroots based People’s Vaccine Campaign in Kenya calls on WTO Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to consider supporting the TRIPS Waiver, to stand up against vaccine nationalism and to get behind the provision of a free vaccine to all populations.

A massive scaling up of global vaccine production, and equitable distribution of vaccines, tests and treatments, are essential to combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.

US-based civil society organizations urge Biden-Harris’ administration to lift the U.S. blockage of the “Waiver from Certain Provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the Prevention, Containment and Treatment of COVID-19” supported by more than 100 nations at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

More than 200 non-governmental organizations and trade unions from the Global South sent letters to leaders of developed countries: Australia, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, calling on them to unconditionally support the proposed waiver for the prevention, treatment and containment of COVID-19 and to immediately stop obstructing its adoption.

Imagine what we can achieve together, if we choose to fight the global pandemic with our collective power. We can mobilize new production capabilities and share vaccine technology with qualified manufacturers around the world. We can overcome scarcity and rationing and ensure access for all.

European civil society organizations urge European Parliament MPs to pressure the European Commission (the EU's executive body) to support the adoption of the India-South Africa proposal for the TRIPS Waiver on Covid-19 related products.

Amnesty International is calling on all World Trade Organization member states to strongly support the “Waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19” (Waiver Proposal) which would help to ensure that COVID-19 medical products, including safe and effective vaccines, can be manufactured quickly and made available and affordable for all.

WTO Information Note on the TRIPS Agreement and Covid-19

An effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic requires rapid access to affordable medical products including diagnostic kits, medical masks, other personal protective equipment and ventilators, as well as vaccines and medicines for the prevention and treatment of patients in dire need.