THERE WAS barely any excitement when Australia came out in support of a waiver of intellectual property rights (IPRS) by the World Trade Organization (WTO) on vaccines, treatments and diagnostic devices needed to fight the covid-19 pandemic. Trade Minister Dan Tehan’s announcement just a couple of weeks before the waiver proposal hit its anniversary—after a dismal year of inaction by WTO even as millions died following the outbreak of sars-cov-2—caused hardly a blip. The cardiograph charting the waiver proposal's progress has been flat since it was first proposed by South Africa and India on October 2, 2020, barring the time when the Joe Biden administration caused a sensation— unwarrantedly, this column has argued—with its backing for a limited waiver on vaccines in May this year.
So now Australia has joined over 100 other countries in seeking a limited waiver of IPRS that are enshrined in the trips agreement of WTO. Does it really matter? Only a dogged optimist would say it does. For all one knows, it could be just a kite-flying exercise, since Tehan made Canberra’s shift instance known at a meeting with community organisations. Just a month earlier, Tehan had been singing the usual paeans to the role of IPRS in promoting innovation and had put it on record that the government felt voluntary mechanisms were the best option for increasing access to vaccines. In a letter written to community organisations, the minister had cited the scarcity of raw materials and the lack of manufacturing capacity as major barriers to increased production of vaccines. It also pointed to the key role of intellectual property protections in encouraging the development of new vaccines and tests and treatments.
Esta historia es de la edición October 16, 2021 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 16, 2021 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Trade On Emissions
EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a tariff on imports, is designed to protect European industries in the guise of climate action.
'The project will facilitate physical and cultural decimation of indigenous people'
The Great Nicobar Project has all the hallmarks of a disaster-seismic, ecological, human. Why did it get the go-ahead?
TASTE IT RED
Popularity of Karnataka's red jackfruit shows how biodiversity can be conserved by ensuring that communities benefit from it
MANY MYTHS OF CHIPKO
Misconceptions about the Chipko movement have overshadowed its true objectives.
The politics and economics of mpox
Africa's mpox epidemic stems from delayed responses, neglect of its health risks and the stark vaccine apartheid
Emerging risks
Even as the world gets set to eliminate substances threatening the ozone layer, climate change and space advancement pose new challenges.
JOINING THE CARBON CLUB
India's carbon market will soon be a reality, but will it fulfil its aim of reducing emissions? A report by PARTH KUMAR and MANAS AGRAWAL
Turn a new leaf
Scientists join hands to predict climate future of India's tropical forests
Festering troubles
The Democratic Republic of Congo struggles to contain mpox amid vaccine delays, conflict and fragile healthcare.
India sees unusual monsoon patterns
THE 2024 southwest monsoon has, between June 1 and September 1, led to excess rainfall in western and southern states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while others like Nagaland, Manipur and Punjab recorded a deficit.