2021 part4

49/ DDG Ellard stresses the importance of health-related outcome at MC12

26 OCTOBER 2021

In remarks delivered to the “Trade and Health” series on 26 October hosted by the International Chamber of Commerce and the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services, Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard presented the major issues to be discussed at the WTO’s upcoming 12th Ministerial Conference, (MC12), particularly those relating to pandemic response.

DDG Ellard’s presentation focused on the two strands of WTO work aimed at ensuring equitable access to vaccines, particularly in developing and least developed countries. First, she provided an overview of the negotiations concerning the proposed TRIPS waiver. She stressed the importance of arriving at a pragmatic solution to address vaccine inequity and spur economic growth.

Second, DDG Ellard underlined that the WTO plays an important role in helping to scale up vaccine production and keep supply chains open. In this regard, she drew participants’ attention to the WTO’s work in preparing a list of trade-related bottlenecks and trade-facilitating measures on critical products to combat COVID-19, an indicative list of critical COVID-19 vaccine inputs and a report on COVID-19 vaccines production and tariffs on vaccine inputs.  In addition, the WTO has been working with other international organizations and with companies directly to facilitate easing of bottlenecks.

She also outlined the state of play in ongoing discussions on fisheries subsidies.  In particular, she stressed the need for WTO members to muster the political will to finalize these longstanding negotiations by MC12.

DDG Ellard discussed ongoing talks on agriculture, e-commerce, domestic regulation of services, and dispute settlement. She emphasized the importance of setting the table for the work of the WTO beyond MC12.

Source: wto.org