<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><i class="">This briefing is intended for state and local partner groups and grassroots activists across the country. Please join us if you’re interested, and help spread the word. —Arthur</i></div><div class=""><i class=""><br class=""></i></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class=""><b class=""><font size="5" class="">Expanding Global Supplies of COVID-19 Vaccines & Treatments</font></b></div><div class=""><font size="4" class=""><i class="">An Emergency Briefing on the TRIPS Waiver Campaign</i></font></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><blockquote class="" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><div class=""><b class="" style="font-size: 14px;">Wednesday, March 31 • 2pm Eastern / 1pm Central / 12pm Mountain / 11am Pacific </b></div><div class=""><a href="https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jp3LHBYhQm23HElTdI6frA" style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><a href="https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jp3LHBYhQm23HElTdI6frA" class=""><b class="">>>> </b></a><b class=""><a href="https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jp3LHBYhQm23HElTdI6frA" class="">RSVP ONLINE HERE</a> <<<</b></a></div></blockquote><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Pressure is increasing on the Biden administration to support the emergency TRIPS waiver at the World Trade Organization that's needed to ramp up production of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments in as many places as possible as quickly as possible. Please join us for an emergency briefing on how you can help.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Current supplies of COVID vaccines, test kits and medications are nowhere near enough to meet global demand — and that situation is not expected to change for years, unless global production is dramatically increased. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Numerous factories around the world have the capacity to produce COVID vaccines and medications, but “Trade-Related Intellectual Property” (TRIPS) rules enforced by the WTO are a major obstacle standing in the way. Over 100 countries — as well as a wide range of public health, faith, consumer, labor, civil rights, development and other civil society organizations — have called for a temporary waiver of these dangerous trade rules. But the United States and a small handful of other rich nations have blocked the waiver from moving forward. They’re effectively putting pharmaceutical company profits ahead of an end to the pandemic.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">We need your help raising the profile of this issue and putting pressure on U.S. policymakers to support the TRIPS waiver. </b> Doing so could help save literally millions of lives, help the economy to rebound more quickly and also help reduce the chances of a viral mutation that enables the coronavirus to evade current vaccines and start the entire pandemic process over for everyone. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><a href="https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jp3LHBYhQm23HElTdI6frA" class="">Please join us for an emergency briefing</a> about how you can make a difference on this key life-or-death issue. Presenters include:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b class="">Achal Prabhala,</b> coordinator of AccessIBSA and co-author of <i class=""><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/07/opinion/covid-vaccines-patents.html" class="">Want Vaccines Fast? Suspend Intellectual Property Rights</a></i></div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b class="">Matthew Rose</b>, director of U.S. policy and advocacy at Health GAP</div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b class="">Hillary Haden</b>, director of the Washington Fair Trade Coalition</div><div class=""><b class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Andi Petrovic</b>, field organizer at Global Trade Watch</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The campaign for the TRIPS waiver has a lot of momentum behind it. We can win, but we need your help. <a href="https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jp3LHBYhQm23HElTdI6frA" class=""><b class="">Please RSVP now.</b></a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><i class="">Questions? </i><span class="">Email: </span><span class=""><a href="mailto:info@citizenstrade.org" class="">info@citizenstrade.org</a></span></div></div><br class=""><div class="">
<div class="">Arthur Stamoulis, Executive Director</div><div class="">CITIZENS TRADE CAMPAIGN</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Online: <a href="http://citizenstrade.org" class="">citizenstrade.org</a></div><div class="">Twitter: @citizenstrade</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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