<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 style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><a href="https://msfaccess.org/open-cso-letter-wto-trade-ministers-do-not-accept-current-draft-demand-real-waiver" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://msfaccess.org/open-cso-letter-wto-trade-ministers-do-not-accept-current-draft-demand-real-waiver&source=gmail&ust=1655388984190000&usg=AOvVaw1wRe-OGiPiKotyhvLVNgH-" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class="">https://msfaccess.org/open-<wbr class="">cso-letter-wto-trade-<wbr class="">ministers-do-not-accept-<wbr class="">current-draft-demand-real-<wbr class="">waiver</a><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></div><h4 style="margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); margin-bottom: 0cm;" class=""><strong class=""><span style="font-size: 15pt;" class="">Open letter to Trade Ministers at the World Trade Organization (WTO)</span></strong><span style="font-size: 15pt;" class=""><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></h4><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; line-height: 18pt; box-sizing: inherit;" class=""><em class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">15 June 2022</span></em><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></div><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 18pt; box-sizing: inherit;" class=""><strong class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Re: Joint CSO call to all WTO Trade Ministers to not accept the current draft of Ministerial Decision on the TRIPS Agreement and demand a real Waiver</span></strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 18pt; box-sizing: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">Your Excellencies,<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 18pt; box-sizing: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">As civil society organisations, we call on all Trade Ministers to negotiate an effective and meaningful TRIPS Waiver that covers all major Intellectual Property Rights on all COVID-19 medical products for all people. This is not what is currently proposed in the draft ministerial decision on the TRIPS Agreement (WT/MIN(22)/W/15). We therefore call on you to not accept the current proposed COVID-19 decision on the TRIPS Agreement as it does not deliver a meaningful global response to the pandemic and fails to uphold many of the key founding principles of the WTO<sup class="">1</sup>, including non-discriminatory treatment by and among members, and transparency.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 18pt; box-sizing: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">People continue to die from COVID-19 without access to life-saving treatments. It is therefore indefensible that the draft Ministerial Decision does not immediately apply to all COVID-19 medical tools, including therapeutics and diagnostics. The failure of the text to address intellectual property barriers beyond patents severely limits its effectiveness in increasing production and supply.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 18pt; box-sizing: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">The draft Ministerial Decision is discriminatory as it arbitrarily excludes some of the world’s largest producers of medical tools and “encourages developing countries with export capacity to opt out” from using the proposed decision to produce and supply medical tools. This is contradictory and counterproductive to saving people’s lives by ensuring the access to medical tools they need.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 18pt; box-sizing: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">It is unacceptable that the text restricts the free movement and rapid distribution of needed medical products during a global pandemic by imposing a ban on re-exportation of COVID-19 vaccines produced under the decision. This restriction cannot be justified.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 18pt; box-sizing: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">Under the guise of ‘clarifying’ existing flexibilities under the TRIPS Agreement, the proposed text risks adding restrictions and complex bureaucratic conditions resulting in hurdles to the production and supply of COVID-19 medical tools. These, together with never-before required time limits and product limits applied to clarifying the existing public health flexibilities, would set a negative precedent for responses to future health challenges.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 18pt; box-sizing: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">The process to reach the current draft text has been flawed, discriminatory and lacking in transparency. It has given outsized influence to the opponents of additional intellectual property flexibilities while limiting, or even excluding, the voice of some countries hit hardest by inequality in access to COVID-19 technologies. In addition, civil society organisations have not been able to participate meaningfully in the process and have been criticised for raising legitimate concerns.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 18pt; box-sizing: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">The draft Ministerial Decision on the TRIPS Agreement is inadequate and contradictory to the WTO’s foundational principles, and results from a flawed and exclusionary process. We therefore call on you, as Trade Ministers, to not accept this current text and demand a real and effective TRIPS Waiver, as originally proposed under IP/C/W/669/Rev.1, delivered via democratic, transparent and accountable negotiations.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 18pt; box-sizing: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">Sincerely,<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 18pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 18pt; box-sizing: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">ABIA (Associação Brasileira Interdisciplinar de AIDS)<br class="">access to medicines ireland<br class="">Access to Medicines Research Group<br class="">ACT Alliance EU<br class="">Action against AIDS Germany<br class="">ActionAid Australia<br class="">Activist Education and Development Centre (AEDC)<br class="">Advocates of hope for community<br class="">AEDC<br class="">Afrocab Treatment Access Partnership<br class="">AGANIM - Associação de Gays e Amigues de Mesquita, Nova Iguaçu e RJ<br class="">AHF Mexico<br class="">AIDS Access Foundation<br class="">AKCC<br class="">Albergue las Memorias Asociacion Civil<br class="">Ambassadors for youths and Reproductive program<br class="">Americas TB Coalition<br class="">Amnesty International<br class="">Anaids<br class="">Artb Mexico<br class="">Asociación por un acceso justo al medicamento, AAJM, Spain<br class="">Associação brasileira interdisciplinar de AIDS<br class="">Association for Proper Internet Governance<br class="">Association of Positive Youth Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (APYIN)<br class="">Association of Women of Southern Europe AFEM<br class="">Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network<br class="">BEYOND INITIATIVE FOR SOCIAL CONCERN -KENYA<br class="">Both ENDS<br class="">Brazilian Interdisciplinary Aids Association (ABIA)<br class="">Bread for the World<br class="">BUKO Pharma-Kampagne<br class="">Cancer Alliance<br class="">Cancer alliance<br class="">CAPI<br class="">CCC men support group<br class="">Center Tolerance and Peace<br class="">Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)<br class="">Child Way Uganda<br class="">Children Rights Information Network-Kenya<br class="">CITAMplus<br class="">CITIZEN HEALTH INITIATIVE.<br class="">Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS Uganda)<br class="">Coalition of Women Living with HIIV in Malawi<br class="">Coalizione Italiana per le Libertà e i Diritti civili (Italian Coalition for Civil Liberties and Rights - CILD)<br class="">Compromiso Universitario por la Salud A.C.<br class="">Consilium Scientific<br class="">Consumer Associatyion the Quality of Life-EKPIZO<br class="">CONTENTATIVA<br class="">DAWN (Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era)<br class="">Deutsche Allianz Klimawandel und Gesundheit e.V. - KLUG<br class="">Discordant couple's welfare group<br class="">Doctors for Vaccine Equity<br class="">Drugs For Neglected Diseases Initiative - DNDi<br class="">ELIMISHA VIJANA INIATIVE<br class="">Federação Nacional doe Farmacêuticos<br class="">Focus on the Global South<br class="">Forum Umwelt und Entwicklung<br class="">Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research (FIAR)<br class="">Fundación IFARMA<br class="">FUNSALBARME<br class="">Global Citizen<br class="">Global Health Advocates<br class="">Global Humanitarian Progress Corporation GHP Corp<br class="">Global Justice Now<br class="">Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+)<br class="">GongGam Human Rights Law Foundation<br class="">Grupo de Amigos con Vih AC<br class="">Grupo de Trabalho sobre Propriedade intelectual GTPI<br class="">Gubio Community Progressive Initiative, Gubio<br class="">Health GAP<br class="">Health Justice Initiative - South Africa<br class="">Health Poverty Action<br class="">Human Rights Watch<br class="">ICHANGE<br class="">Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ)<br class="">Initiative for Social and Economic Rights<br class="">Intenational community of women living with HIV -kenya chapter<br class="">International Trade Union Confederation<br class="">International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) Global<br class="">IT for Change<br class="">Just Treatment<br class="">Kenya county government workers union<br class="">Kenya Legal & Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS<br class="">Kenya National Constitution Rights Intergeated Centre -Leadership<br class="">Kenya Treatment Access Movement-KETAM<br class="">Kisumu sexworkers Aliance<br class="">KLUG - German Climate and Health Alliance<br class="">KUBORESHA-AFRICA LIMITED<br class="">Lean on Me Foundation<br class="">Living bread widows and widowers organisation<br class="">LoDDCA<br class="">Lydia Njeri foundation<br class="">Medical impact<br class="">medico international<br class="">Médicos del Mundo<br class="">Member of the German Bundestag, DIE LINKE<br class="">Mentors Youth Alliance<br class="">Mombasa Women for Peace<br class="">Movement Law Lab - Global Network of Movement Lawyers<br class="">MSF Access Campaign<br class="">Mwamba orphan education center<br class="">Nakuru women peace and security<br class="">Nelson Mandela Foundation<br class="">Nelson Mandela TB HIV Community Information CBO<br class="">NEPHAK<br class="">NEPOTEHC (Network of Post Test HIV and Aids Community Organization)<br class="">Network for Empowerment in Rural Areas and Townships (NERAT)<br class="">Network of TB Champions Kenya<br class="">Nurture Culture Society Kenya<br class="">Oxfam <br class="">Pacific Network on Globalisation<br class="">Pamoja TB group<br class="">People's health movement<br class="">People's Health Movement South Africa<br class="">People's Vaccine Alliance<br class="">Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation<br class="">PLAN Health Advocacy and Development Foundation<br class="">Public Eye<br class="">Public Services International<br class="">Rekat Peduli Indonesia Foundation<br class="">Réseau Accès aux Médicaments Essentiels<br class="">Rethink Trade<br class="">Salud por Derecho<br class="">Salud y Farmacos USA<br class="">Samaritan care and Support initiative<br class="">Section27<br class="">SMIT TB Patients Association, Moldova<br class="">Southern and East African Trade Institute (SEATINI South Africa)<br class="">St Columba's Presbyterian Church Hatfield<br class="">Stop TB partnership Kenya<br class="">Stop TB Partnership Kenya<br class="">STOP TB PARTNERSHIP-KENYA<br class="">STOPAIDS<br class="">SumOfUs<br class="">Sundial Merchants<br class="">Swaziland Migrant Mineworkers Association<br class="">Talaku<br class="">TALAKU COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION<br class="">TENDER AND CARE OF PLHIV JENYA<br class="">TORRO CENTER FOR CARE AND SUPPORT FOR ADOLESCENTS CHILDREN AND WOMEN<br class="">Trade Justice Education Fund<br class="">Treatment Action Group<br class="">Tuberculosis Social Observatory Mexico<br class="">Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania<br class="">Universal Relief Foundation<br class="">Universities Allied for Essential Medicines<br class="">Verein demokratischer Pharmazeutinnen und Pharmazeuten VdPP<br class="">Wemos<br class="">Women fighting AIDS in Kenya<br class="">Women in peace network<br class="">Women's rights Advancement and protection alternative WRAPA<br class="">World Vision Deutschland e.V.<br class="">Wote Youth Development Projects<br class="">Youth Foundation of Bangladesh<br class="">ZCBTA<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><div class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""><br class=""></span></div></body></html>