The answer is blowing in the wind
The George brothers’ Avatar small wind turbine is generating electricity for troops in Leh
Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal - PTI
The growing support for India and South Africa’s proposal for temporary waiver of certain TRIPS (intellectual rights) obligations at the WTO to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic has put developed countries under pressure, Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said.
The Minister pointed out that 57 countries had co-sponsored the India-Africa proposal and a large number of African countries and LDCs were already on board. With many more members supporting the proposal on the floor, such as the ACP Group, Afghanistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Honduras, Cuba, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Indonesia, Tunisia, Mali and Mauritius, the total support has crossed 100, officials in Geneva say.
“The developed world is under pressure. Because, on one hand, they talk about supporting each other and a multilateral fight against the Covid pandemic and on the other hand, they are looking at protecting interests of few companies only in terms of innovation cost and R&D,” the Minister said in a virtual address at the 6 International Conference on Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices Sector on Thursday.
The 57 countries co-sponsoring the proposal include Kenya, Eswatini, Mozambique, Pakistan, Bolivia, Venezuela, Mongolia, Zimbabwe, Egypt, the African Group and the LDC (least-developed countries) group.
Goyal recounted that India, together with South Africa, had introduced the proposal in the WTO’s TRIPS council for a TRIPS waiver during the Covid pandemic to allow more and more countries to get equitable access to medicines and other products.
Calling upon the pharmaceutical industry across the world to show a big heart and support the TRIPS waiver, the Minister said this will help the entire world come out of the pandemic much faster.
The Indian delegate to the WTO, at the TRIPS Council meeting this week, asked developed country governments to explain why they were so eager to protect the commercial interests of only a few companies in the pharmaceuticals sector when they had intervened to suspend air transport and restrict mobility to prevent the spread of the virus, the Geneva-based official said.
He further pointed out that members who dismissed their arguments about the possibility of shortages of vaccines, therapeutics and other equipment were themselves facing shortages in their jurisdictions although they had negotiated advanced purchase agreements.
Members such as the US, the EU, Australia, Switzerland and Japan and a handful of developing nations including China and Chile have been opposing the proposal seeking more evidence-based discussion.
The Indian delegate pointed out that the endless questions being posed by developed countries on the proposal could be seen as a way of intentionally delaying the start of text-based negotiations on the waiver, the official said.
Goyal also said the Indian pharmaceutical and health care sector should adopt best practices in terms of quality, facility and commitment to maintain high standards.
The George brothers’ Avatar small wind turbine is generating electricity for troops in Leh
The Spanish flu (1918) devastated a port city like Mumbai. Could the lessons help as we brace for a second ...
Though the number is still woefully small, the good news is that more Indian companies are auditing their ...
Post-pandemic, airlines may have to combine punctuality with heightened passenger services, including safety, ...
Three-in-one: Passive debt funds come at a low cost and have high-quality portfolios. Some offer return ...
Trend in the rupee movement and Q4 earnings can give direction to the market
There is room for improvement in fund transfer options
Silver looks positive but lacks the higher volumes required to substantiate bullishness
My Chennai sister sent me a photograph of a young man whose hair looked as if it had exploded out of the top ...
Actor Adil Hussain on theatre, communal amity and citizenship in a new book about Assam and its many ...
Murder is a theme that is unlikely to darken and yellow with time, the writer Truman Capote had once said.
The iconic punk rock band took a whole generation along as they toured the globe for 22 years
Marketers are padded up, sponsorship deals have been struck, and campaigns are rolling out. Now let the games ...
And what marketers can possibly do to bring it back in our lives
The agency has changed form over the years but its lustre has not dimmed
Media Factory has purchased the majority stake held by Sam and Lara Balsara of Madison World in Madison Media ...
Three years after its inception, compliance with GST procedures remains a headache for exporters, job workers ...
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of companies are altering the prospects for wooden toys of ...
Aequs Aerospace to create space for large-scale manufacture of toys at Koppal
And it has every reason to smile. Covid-19 has triggered a consumer shift towards branded products as ...
Please Email the Editor