1/5 Brilliant article by Achal Prabhla, @DeanBaker13 and @arjun_jayadev on why TRIPs waiver proposal for Covid-19 vaccination (by India and South Africa) would help not just the developing but also the rich countries. Thread on some kep points:
google.com/amp/s/www.nyti…
google.com/amp/s/www.nyti…
2/5 Support for proposal?
"By our count, nearly 100 countries favor the proposal, and yet because almost all decisions at the W.T.O. are made by consensus, a small number of countries can thwart the will of the majority, even a super majority. (The organization has 164 members.)"
"By our count, nearly 100 countries favor the proposal, and yet because almost all decisions at the W.T.O. are made by consensus, a small number of countries can thwart the will of the majority, even a super majority. (The organization has 164 members.)"
3/5 why the protection?
"The U.S. trade representative is reported to have said that protecting intellectual property rights and otherwise “facilitating incentives for innovation and competition” was the best way to ensure the “swift delivery” of any vaccines and treatments."
"The U.S. trade representative is reported to have said that protecting intellectual property rights and otherwise “facilitating incentives for innovation and competition” was the best way to ensure the “swift delivery” of any vaccines and treatments."
4/5 Ownership?
"..vaccines developed by these companies were developed thanks wholly or partly to taxpayer money. Those vaccines essentially belong to the people & yet the people are about to pay for them again, & with little prospect of getting as many as they need fast enough"
"..vaccines developed by these companies were developed thanks wholly or partly to taxpayer money. Those vaccines essentially belong to the people & yet the people are about to pay for them again, & with little prospect of getting as many as they need fast enough"
5/5 An unholy tale of pandemic, profits, and power.
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