108 US congress members urge Biden to support India, South Africa on TRIPS waiver
“This waiver is vital to ensuring sufficient volume of and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics around the world,” they wrote in the joint letter.
At least 108 members of the US Congress wrote to President Joe Biden on Friday urging him to support a proposal, moved by India and South Africa at the WTO last year, seeking a temporary waiver of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) for Covid-19 vaccines, therapeutics and related technologies.
Those who signed the letter include members of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party like Pramila Jayapal. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via AP, File) (AP)
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“This waiver is vital to ensuring sufficient volume of and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics around the world,” they wrote in the joint letter.
Those who signed the letter include members of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Brad Sherman, who heads the India caucus; and Indian American Raja Krishnamoorthi.
Meanwhile, India and South Africa are preparing for a fresh push at the WTO for the waiver, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity on Saturday.
Diplomats of the two countries are working on revising the text of a proposal originally submitted by India and South Africa last October, though the success of the move will largely depend on the position adopted by the US and other developed nations.
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“It is the same proposal though with a revised text,” the people said. The fresh proposal is expected to be presented to the WTO sometime in the next two weeks, they added.
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“It is the same proposal though with a revised text,” the people said. The fresh proposal is expected to be presented to the WTO sometime in the next two weeks, they added.
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.
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