WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday issued yet another plea to leaders of rich countries to “honor their pledges” to fund COVID-19 vaccines sufficient to immunize the highest risk groups across the world. He spoke a day after South African officials raised the spectre that the world was heading towards a state […] Continue reading ->
While some of the world’s richest countries have now stockpiled more COVID vaccines than they have people to inject, the world’s 67 poorest countries may only be able to vaccinate 1 in 10 people against COVID-19 next year, unless urgent action is taken by governments and the pharmaceutical industry to make sure enough doses are […] Continue reading ->
South Africa is campaigning for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to waiver intellectual property rights on all products related to COVID-19 for the duration of the pandemic. Mustaqeem De Gama, Counsellor at the South African Permanent Mission in Geneva, is leading the campaign. Kerry Cullinan and Elaine Fletcher spoke to him about the reasons why […] Continue reading ->
The vaccine zero hour is approaching. As Norway’s Minister of International Development Dag Ulstein and South Africa’s Minister of Health Zweili Mkhize made yet another urgent plea Monday for some US$4.3 billion right now and another $US23.9 billion in 2021 to massively roll out new COVID19 vaccines, drugs and tests that are now coming on […] Continue reading ->
There is so far no evidence that the outbreak of mutant SARS-CoV-2 virus strains exploding in Danish mink farms threaten the development of a successful COVID-19 vaccine, said top World Health Organization (WHO) officials on Friday. More than 200 mink farms in Denmark have reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections, prompting Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, […] Continue reading ->
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, board chair of Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, on Wednesday was named as the favored candidate to be the next World Trade Organization director-general – after a months-long WTO campaign process and in a decisive moment of the COVID-19 pandemic. But as the United States came out in favor of the Republic of Korea’s […] Continue reading ->
A safe, proven vaccine for COVID-19 doesn’t yet exist. But the battle for access is heating up. Even as the world struggles to come up with a viable COVID-19 vaccine as well as new treatments, the debate over how to ensure that people around the world can get access to whatever products are available, now […] Continue reading ->
A sweeping proposal by India and South Africa to suspend the protection of intellectual property (IP) related to COVID-19 health products is set to come before the The World Trade Organization’s TRIPS Council this week. The closed door discussion lays the groundwork for what could prove to be the most significant public debate over […] Continue reading ->
The race for the leadership of the World Trade Organization (WTO) gained traction this week as eight competing nominees presented their pitches to fill Azevêdo’s role to the WTO General Council, and later to the press and public. The nominees include: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and former finance minister of […] Continue reading ->
The early resignation of Roberto Azevedo from the post of Director General (DG) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), sets the stage for a highly politicized competition over his successor – who will face a major challenge in demands to reshape the WTO in the wake of repeated US complaints about its trade dispute rulings […] Continue reading ->
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