IP/C/W/677  
 
18 May 2021 
(21-4151) Page: 1/2 
Council for Trade -Related Aspects of  
Intellectual Property Rights  Original: English  
 
  
WAIVER FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE TRIPS AGREEMENT FOR THE PREVENTION, 
CONTAINMENT AND TREATMENT OF COVID -19 - JOINT STATEMENT OF CO -SPONSORS  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE AFRICAN GROUP, THE PLURINATIONAL STATE OF BOLIVIA,  
EGYPT, ESWATINI, FIJI, INDIA, INDONESIA, KENYA, THE LDC GROUP, MALDIVES,  
MOZAMBIQUE, MONGOLIA, NAMIBIA, PAKISTAN, SOUTH AFRICA, VANUATU, 
THE BOLIVARIAN  REPUBLIC  OF VENEZUELA AND ZIMBABWE  
The following communication, dated 17 May 2021, is circulated at the request  of the delegations of 
the African Group, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Egypt, Eswatini, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kenya, 
the LDC Group, Maldives, Mozambique, Mongolia, Namibia, Pakistan, South Africa, Vanuatu, the 
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Zimbabwe .  
 
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1.  As the COVID -19 pandemic continues to rage on globally, there have been 162,177,376 
confirmed cases o f COVID -19, including 3,364,178 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 12 May 2021, a 
total of 1,264,164,553 vaccine doses have been administered.1 However, the promise of 
international solidarity and of "global public goods " sounds hollow as staggering inequity in access 
persists and as Members of World Trade Organization continue to fail to work in solidarity and take 
action to remove intellectual property barriers.  
2.  To meet the global supply demands for timely and affordable access, we need to mobilise global 
manufacturing capacity and to diversify supply options. Addressing intellectual property challenges 
is a prerequisite if we are to meet this objective in the shortest possible time frame.  
3.  62 WTO Members have co -sponsored the proposal for a temporary waiver  from certain TRIPS 
obligations for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID -19 and many other 
WTO Members are supportive of the proposal. This initiative has also received worldwide support, 
from international organizations, civil society organi zations, global leaders including former 
presidents, prime ministers, Nobel laureates, parliamentarians across the globe including from those 
Members who have not yet agreed on textual discussions, healthcare workers including Global 
Nurses United , Association of Flight Attendants , Industri All Global Union, Public Services 
International  - global trade union federation of workers in public services, and the general public.  
4.  Co-sponsors welcome the USTR statement of 5 May 2021 that the United States is supportive 
and willing to actively participate in text -based discussions. It is encouraging that various other 
delegations who had been opposing text -based discussions have undertaken to do the same. This is 
a significant step forward in our collective res ponsibility to address the scourge of COVID -19 and to 
ensure that we end the pandemic everywhere for everyone. Universal access to immunisation, 
treatments, testing and other products to control the pandemic should be our priority. No one should 
be left be hind. The co -sponsors call on all delegations who have not yet indicated that they will join 
text-based discussions, to do so as soon as possible.  
5.  Co-sponsors will soon issue an amended version of their waiver proposal with the objective of 
moving text -based discussions forward. The amended waiver proposal seeks to further clarify the 
scope of the proposed waiver while also addressing the period during which it will apply. We believe 
 
1 https://covid19.who.int/  IP/C/W/677  
 
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  that this phase of discussion should be concluded as soon as possible giv en the very serious situation 
that we still face with COVID -19. Continuous mutations and emergence of new variants of 
SARS -COV-2 highlight the significant uncertainties and complexities of controlling SARS -COV-2 and 
underscore the urgency of this proposal.  A failure to respond in a timely manner on the waiver 
proposal undermines the legitimacy and credibility of WTO.  
6.  Co-sponsors confirm that they will engage in this process with the necessary flexibility to ensure 
swift outcomes. Any outcome in these negotiations must respect the wishes and common interests 
of the majority of Members of the WTO.  
7.  We call on all WTO Members to come together in meaningful global solidarity, to prioritise and 
expedite text -based negotiations, to reach an early conclusion t hat will effectively address 
intellectual property barriers and contribute to the scaling up and diversification of manufacturing 
and supply of COVID -19 products for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID -19. 
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