BRICS Supports India and South Africa’s Proposal to Remove Patents on Covid-19 Vaccines
The organization emphasized the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines and their distribution, especially in developing countries, and called for further increased cooperation among stakeholders for a variety of vaccines.
Terming the corona virus as the most serious challenge in recent history, the five-nation organization BRICS on Tuesday discussed ways to deal with it and in an important step, India and India to temporarily remove the patent on the Covid-19 vaccine. South Africa supported the proposal.
In his inaugural address, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South African Countries) strives for a fair, inclusive and multipolar international order that recognizes the equal sovereignty of all countries and their Respects territorial integrity.
As the President of BRICS for the year 2021, India hosted the meeting which was attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, South African Minister of International Relations Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor and Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto Franco. took part and it was presided over by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Jaishankar’s statement on the need to respect territorial integrity came in the backdrop of the border standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh. Lavrov later made similar remarks at a press conference in Moscow.
According to the joint statement, the foreign ministers of this organization also resolved to combat all forms of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, and also decided to intensify joint efforts to garner support for the India-backed International Counter-Terrorism (Comprehensive) Convention.
The foreign ministers also decided to finalize a ‘result-oriented action plan’ by the organization’s counter-terrorism task force in 2021.
Sources said India was successful in persuading foreign ministers to use strong language against terrorism, including cross-border movement of terrorists, terrorism financing networks and safe havens.
In another important step, the BRICS foreign ministers strongly advocated strengthening and reforming of multilateral organizations, especially the United Nations and important organs such as the Security Council, the General Assembly, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization. .
The foreign ministers also issued an independent statement on measures to reform multilateral bodies. Sources said that for the first time between the foreign ministers of the BRICS countries, it was agreed to issue a joint independent statement on reforms in the multilateral system. BRICS represents 41 percent of the world’s population, 24 percent of GDP and 16 percent of global trade.
The modalities to deal with the corona virus, including sharing of technology to increase vaccine production and improving the supply chain of medical products, dominated the digital meeting of the Foreign Ministers of BRICS.
“The Ministers reiterated their commitment to the need to use all relevant measures during the pandemic, including the COVID-19 Vaccine Intellectual Property Rights Waiver and Ease of TRIPS (Trade Aspects Related to Intellectual Property Rights) in the WTO,” the joint statement said. This includes supporting the ongoing discussions.
According to the joint statement, the ministers accepted the role of intensive vaccination against Covid-19 to put a complete stop to this epidemic.
“They reiterated the need to promote vaccine dosage sharing, technology transfer, development of local production capacities, improve the supply chain of medical products, promote price transparency and called for restraint on measures that would allow vaccines, There may be a hindrance in the flow of health products.
