TRIPS Waiver Would Further Undermine the WTO's Credibility

The World Trade Organization's 164 member countries just received the text of a proposal that — if adopted — would discourage medical research and threaten global economic growth.

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala recently presented member countries with a draft agreement — hashed out by negotiators from the United States, the European Union, India, and South Africa — that waives intellectual property protections on Covid vaccines. Rumors of the agreement had circulated for months, but now the text is publicly available for all to see.