Global trade compromise on vaccines and food draws fire
The pharmaceutical industry and several NGOs have criticised deals on vaccines and food security made at a six-day meeting of the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO).
This content was published on
3 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
The WTO’s 164 members agreed on a package of trade reforms in the early hours of Friday, which included compromise solutions on waiving intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines and ensuring greater food security globally.
But the vaccine deal has drawn fire from both medicine manufacturers, who say the new rules will backfire by inhibiting innovation, and campaign groups who contend that reforms have not gone far enough.
NGOs say the partial IP waiver to allow developing countries to produce and export Covid-19 vaccines barely expands on an existing exemption in WTO rules and is too narrow by not covering therapeutics and diagnostics.
“Put simply, it is a technocratic fudge aimed at saving reputations, not lives,” said Max Lawson, co-chair of the People’s Vaccine Alliance.
“It is useless to lift patents without revealing manufacturing secrets and transferring technology and know-how,” wrote Isolde Agazzi, international trade manager for the NGO Alliance Sud, in the Le Temps newspaper. “Alliance Sud, would have preferred no agreement at all rather than a bad agreement.”
But scienceindustries, the body representing the Swiss pharmaceutical, chemicals and life science industries, said the decision sends a “dangerous signal for future innovations”.
“The suspension of patent rights will not increase the vaccination rate in countries but will call into question the ability to develop new vaccines and medicines for future challenges.”
Food security
WTO members agreed on a package of measures, including an agreement to tear down export restrictions on the sale of food to the World Food Programme – but only if this doesn’t compromise the ability of individual countries to feed their own populations.
The WTO meeting also failed to make headway on proposed agricultural reforms, which Alliance Sud’s Agazzi says is vital to allow achieve long-term food self-sufficiency in developing countries.
The Swiss farmers’ union Uniterre was also unimpressed and called on the government to demand an “immediate suspension of all existing WTO rules that prevent countries from developing public food stocks and regulating the market and prices.”
But this seems unlikely as the Swiss government proclaimed its satisfaction with the results of the marathon WTO meeting. “In view of the current challenges facing the multilateral trading system”the package of new WTO measures “should be considered a success,” the government stated on Friday.
Pro-Palestine uni protests to be debated in Swiss parliament
This content was published on
The Swiss People’s Party says it will launch two postulates calling for clarifications about the recent student protests and occupations.
This content was published on
A 36-year-old man from Ticino lost his life on Saturday in Val Malvaglia, in the north of canton Ticino, during a wingsuit jump from a plane.
Swiss Evangelical Reformed Church numbers dropping in French-speaking Switzerland
This content was published on
As in German-speaking Switzerland, the number of members of the Reformed Church in French-speaking Switzerland is also declining.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 20km during holiday weekend
This content was published on
The traffic jam at the Gotthard north portal reached a length of 20 kilometres on the motorway between canton Nidwalden and canton Uri.
Swiss Interior Minister visits Cannes Film Festival
This content was published on
Swiss Interior Minister left the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday after three days of intensive dialogue, meetings and film screenings.
Swiss theatre director breaks with tradition at Vienna’s Rathausplatz
This content was published on
With the proclamation of the "Free Republic of Vienna", the start of the festival on Friday evening was unusually political.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Will WTO break deadlock in next major meeting?
This content was published on
The 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), postponed twice due to Covid, will finally take place from Sunday in Geneva.
Swiss minister stands firm on Covid vaccine rights in WTO talks
This content was published on
Economics Minister Guy Parmelin says Switzerland remains open to a compromise on intellectual property (IP) rights on Covid vaccines.
How the war in Ukraine is fuelling the next global food crisis
This content was published on
The war has disrupted the global supply of food, fuel, and fertilisers. This has made a dire situation worse for millions of people across Africa.
Covid vaccines: how to end the wait for billions of people
This content was published on
A waiver on intellectual property rights could be the key to getting more Covid drugs and vaccines to the developing world. But it's controversial.
Swiss open to compromise in Covid vaccine talks at WTO
This content was published on
Switzerland is open to compromise in talks on the IP rights of Covid-19 vaccines and drugs at the World Trade Organization.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.