👀 Leaked: a vaccine patent waiver stitch-up?

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Hi John,

Nearly 18 months into the fight for vaccine equality, a new text claiming to represent progress on an intellectual property waiver was leaked last week from the World Trade Organisation.

The text is evidence of the deep pressure on rich nations to account for their blocking of vaccine production in the global south, even if it comes far too late for many.

For the EU, one of the key blockers of the waiver so far, to finally move on this issue is tantamount to an admission that western governments have been putting corporate profits ahead of human lives for the last 18 months. But while these developments may be politically significant, a closer look reveals that the EU continues to press the talking points of big pharma companies.

The leaked text looks a lot like a rich-country stitch up. It does nothing to increase access to Covid-19 treatments, which is unforgivable at a time when rich countries have bought up virtually all the supply for 2022. It also does nothing to increase access to the trade secrets which would provide the know-how needed to produce vaccines quickly. The EU even appears to have found a way to introduce potentially onerous reporting requirements that go beyond anything we’ve seen in global agreements on intellectual property.

In short, this text falls short of the demands of our movement, and our civil society partners in India, South Africa and across the world have made clear they feel the same. So we and our international partners are reaffirming our demands for real and meaningful waiver this week.

Join us and thousands of people around the country demanding a real suspension of Covid-19 vaccine patents. Add your name to our petition today.

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We should be heartened by the fact that the EU and others are feeling the heat on this issue, but at this point we must push to ensure that the crucial missing parts of this so-called waiver are included in any final agreement. Most governments, including India, South Africa and the UK, still haven’t agreed on the details of this text so there is still room to press for change.

With only 14% of people in low-income countries having received a single Covid-19 vaccine dose and almost the entire year’s supply of treatments hoovered up by countries in the global north, the need for a full and decisive waiver is as great as ever - and that’s what we will continue to demand.

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In solidarity,

Tim Bierley
Campaigner at Global Justice Now

PS. Our Decolonise Vaccines speaker tour featuring Maurine Murenga from Kenya continues in Leicester, Manchester, Newcastle and Stirling next week. Register now https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/event/decolonise-vaccines/

Notes

1. Top Economists and Oxfam Leader Demand Truly Just Covid IP Waiver, Common Dreams, 21 March 2022

2. COVID Vaccines: WTO Compromise Over India and South Africa's Proposal is Disappointing, The Wire, 22 March 2022

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