The Mandela Institute with the Health Justice Initiative is undertaking research related to the legal and policy issues stemming from vaccine procurement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We also collaborated with the Health Justice Initiative on a series of webinars discussing the legal and policy issues arising out of the proposed TRIPS waiver.
Guest speakers and topics discussed at the webinars were as follows:
Webinar 1
Kholofelo Kugler, Advisory Centre on WTO Law
The proposed TRIPS waiver: background, the TRIPS regime and a brief history of waivers at the WTO
Rafia Akram, Health Justice Initiative
TRIPS waiver “myth-busting”: what a TRIPS waiver would and would not do
Professor Caroline Ncube, University of Cape Town
South Africa’s domestic legislation: what can be achieved with and without a TRIPS waiver
Webinar 2
Dr. Leena Menghaney, Head – India and Global IP Advisor, MSF Access Campaign
Indian perspectives: On the TRIPS waiver proposal, Supreme Court and (not) issuing compulsory licences
Mr. Felipe de Carvalho, Médecins Sans Frontières (Brazil)
The view from Brazil: On opposing the TRIPS waiver and the prospects of using compulsory licences
Professor Brook Baker, Northeastern University
Canada, Biolyse and Bolivia: A litmus test for the Article 31bis compulsory licencing route?
Ms. Katie Gallogly-Swan, Boston University Global Development Policy Center and UNCTAD
Prolonging vaccine scarcity: Exploring the paths not taken to end the pandemic
Webinar 3
Mr Tahir Amin, Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK)
Coming full circle: The language of TRIPS past language of TRIPS past, present and future
Ms Sangeeta Shashikant, Third World Network
Intellectual property & opportunities for promoting access
Dr Hyo Yoon Kang, University of Kent
IP scholarship and ethos in times of TRIPS waiver negotiations and beyond
Dr Carlos Maria Correa, South Centre
The TRIPS waiver. Why it matters
Dr Alexander Beyleveld, Mandela Institute
The COVID-19 pandemic and essential security interests: Thoughts on Article 73 of the TRIPS Agreement
The below article has been produced by Dr Alexander Beyleveld following his participation on the third webinar.
Beyleveld, Alexander "The WTO TRIPS Waiver and Essential Security Rights in 2022", SouthViews No. 235 (10 March 2022), avaiable online at https://www.southcentre.int/southviews-no-235-10-march-2022/#more-19374
