For the first time in years, the World Trade Organization is launching new agreements. Above all, the limited suspension of vaccine patents is causing criticism.
Vienna. It’s getting late in Geneva. After a veritable marathon of negotiations, the 164 member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed on a package of new agreements at their final meeting on Friday at 5 am. The result has been comprehensive patent agreements for the production of Covid vaccines and stricter regulations for international fisheries.
When the conference chair formally declared on Friday morning that all member countries would support the agreements, the negotiating partners were in a celebratory mood. Ministers, civil servants and diplomats even spontaneously sang a belated birthday song for WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. On her royal day of honor on Monday, the Nigerian said she was not in the mood to celebrate because she feared the conference would fail.