Next week, negotiators will take another shot at an intellectual property rights agreement for COVID-19 vaccines. What’s the state of play?
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Andrew Green, who reports for Devex, has this inside look at where things stand in COVID-19 intellectual property negotiations ahead of a critical World Trade Organization ministerial meeting:
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As negotiations within WTO over a compromise intellectual property waiver on patents for COVID-19 vaccines continue, activists have accused rich countries of trying to introduce further restrictions. That includes efforts by the U.K. government to extend the waiver only to finished products and not the ingredients and tools needed to produce COVID-19 vaccines, says Fatima Hassan, founder of Health Justice Initiative.
A Geneva-based insider confirmed that delegates are still grappling over the scope of the waiver.
A group of U.K.-based civil society organizations issued a statement last week criticizing their government for refusing to clarify its position on the TRIPS waiver “beyond the repeated assertion that IP rules were responsible for the rapid development of COVID-19 medical tools and do not present a barrier to access.”
Hassan is calling on supporters of the original waiver proposal to respond in kind.
“If the UK and Swiss can propose new languages, so too can governments in the Global South,” she says, adding that they can push the negotiations back on to ground more similar to the original TRIPS waiver proposal.
That text, tabled by South Africa and India more than 20 months ago, called for temporary access to the range of intellectual property needed to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and tests. The current document, which is being pushed by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, limits the scope to only waive protections on patents for vaccines.
The chair of the TRIPS Council, Sierra Leone’s Lansana Gberie, is continuing to pressure delegates to reach an agreement ahead of next week’s WTO ministerial conference. But he also acknowledged that some delegations are not able to fully engage with the discussions, according to the insider.
+ Andrew will have a full analysis on the sticky situation as we head into the WTO ministerial conference next week. You can also catch up on his previous report on the waiver compromise.
Donor fatigue
COVID-19 funding by community, independent, and corporate foundations plunged 31% in 2021 compared with 2020, according to new data from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and Candid.
Stephanie Beasley reports that 323 foundations provided $1.5 billion in COVID-19 support last year, well below the 398 foundations that gave $2.1 billion in 2020.
COVID-19: US foundations decrease global COVID-19 giving despite ongoing needs
Under pressure
“When you’re malnourished, your body is too weak to fight off a virus or bacteria. Everything is a bit of a vicious circle.”
— Paul Ngwakum, regional adviser for health for eastern and southern Africa, UNICEFWhat does it look like when a health system experiences more shocks than it is capable of absorbing?
Sara Jerving reports that in the Horn of Africa, repeated failed rainy seasons, combined with conflict, rising costs, and COVID-19, have created a situation where every health incident has the potential to spiral out of control.
Read: Children bear brunt of health crisis in Horn of Africa drought
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Thought leadership
Influential nonprofit advisory firm The Bridgespan Group laid out in a report last week how funders and nonprofits can “lean into” letting local communities lead the way on enacting social change.
“Our intent is not to lay out a blueprint for community-driven change or to make community-driven change appear easy to do. Rather, we want to present insights so that NGOs and funders — as well as other actors looking to participate or invest in community-driven change efforts — can make more informed decisions on what might work best for them, says Jan Schwier, an author of the report and a partner in Bridgespan’s Johannesburg office, in a statement provided to Devex.
Bridgespan, which has attracted attention for advising philanthropists including MacKenzie Scott, says the report is the culmination of several months of researching and interviewing NGOs in India, Kenya and South Africa.
ICYMI: Bridgespan's US chief urges donors to keep 'doing the hard work'
Help wanted
My colleague Justin Sablich has been keeping a close eye on how development organizations are staffing up in response to the war in Ukraine and the immense challenge of reconstruction. His latest update shows 18 development organizations currently hiring for positions in the country.
Read: The globaldev organizations hiring in response to Ukraine crisis
+ A Devex Career Account membership includes all the valuable tools you need to be successful in your globaldev job hunt. For this week, we’re offering a 50% discount for new members!
In other news
The 15-member Economic Community of West African States has delayed a decision on sanctions against military juntas in Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali until its next summit. [France 24]
The U.S. will host the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles this week, but some heads of state have planned to boycott the event over its host’s exclusion of leaders from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. [AP]
The war in Ukraine must not be an excuse for countries to prolong reliance on coal and further delay action on pledges made during COP 26, according to U.S. envoy on climate change John Kerry. [BBC]
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About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
