BRICS, a group of countries comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, on Tuesday supported a proposal to temporarily waive ...
BRICS, a group of countries comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, on Tuesday supported a proposal to temporarily waive the patent on coronavirus vaccines. India and South Africa had moved a proposal on the matter in the World Trade Organization in October.
At the meeting, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the group of countries aimed to achieve a just, inclusive, equitable, multipolar international system, which recognises the sovereign equality of all states and respects territorial integrity.
The foreign ministers reasserted the need for “sharing of vaccine doses, transfer of technology, development of local production capacities and supply chains for medical products, promotion of price transparency”. The countries also called for exercising restraint in the implementation of action that could disrupt the flow of vaccines, healthcare items and essential inputs.
“The ministers reaffirmed the need to use all relevant measures during the pandemic, including supporting ongoing consideration in WTO [World Trade Organization] on a Covid-19 vaccine Intellectual Property Rights waiver and the use of flexibilities of the TRIPS [Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights] agreement and the Doha Declaration on TRIPS Agreement and Public Health,” a joint statement of the ministers read.
India hosted the virtual meeting as the chair and it was attended by Chinese Foreign Minister...
