WTO Looking for Consensus on COVID-19 Vaccine IP Waiver Ahead of Ministerial

The World Trade Organization noted positive developments on the COVID-19 vaccine intellectual property waiver during small group and bilateral meetings at the Oct. 13-14 meeting of the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. TRIPS Council Chair Dagfinn Sorli of Norway said that WTO member state consultations will continue with the goal of achieving a consensus before the 12th Ministerial Conference begins Nov. 30 (see 2110140047). The recent small group and bilateral meetings focused on consolidating the two IP waiver proposals -- one from South Africa and India, the other from the European Union. Discussions seek to balance concerns over vaccine access from less developed nations and innovation incentive concerns from developed nations.

The recent talks helped identify “important points of convergence,” the WTO said, citing the experience of certain delegations involved in the talks. While the language around the talks was generally positive, Sorli said that the TRIPS Council “is not yet in a position to agree on a concrete and positive conclusion at this point.” The chair pointed to small group consultations set to take place Oct. 26 as the next step.