WHO New Secretary-General Urges Swift Approval of COVID-19 Vaccine Licenses for Developing Countries

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WHO Director-General
Photo by EPA Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the newly appointed Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), urged on the 19th (local time) that COVID-19 vaccine licenses should be granted to developing countries to enable faster production. She argued that since a few pharmaceutical companies cannot produce vaccines for the entire global population of over 7 billion at once, it is necessary to allow broad license production.

Okonjo-Iweala, who is from Nigeria, Africa, said in an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) Full View program that "the WTO should play a greater role in the COVID-19 pandemic."

She proposed this measure, saying that people are dying from COVID-19 and there is no time to debate the sharing of patents for treatments and vaccines. She stated that in this urgent pandemic situation, the WTO should exercise greater flexibility regarding intellectual property rights issues and facilitate the smooth lifting of export restrictions on pharmaceuticals. She also referred to the past case where South Africa successfully supplied HIV treatments at dramatically reduced prices by negotiating with pharmaceutical companies.

Drawing on nearly 20 years of international experience, Director-General Okonjo-Iweala said she will patiently work to reach agreements within the WTO but will not be patient when it comes to the rapid distribution of vaccines and medicines.

She also emphasized that the urgent task is to complement the WTO’s dispute resolution bodies, such as the Appellate Body, which is currently non-functional, so that all parties involved in trade disputes, including the US and China, can come together and make gradual progress. Regarding the US-China conflict, she urged, "I hope for more constructive dialogue in trade." She explained that trade should serve people and that by encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa and elsewhere to integrate into regional and global value chains, it can contribute to reducing inequality and improving quality of life.

Director-General Okonjo-Iweala will officially begin her duties on the 1st of next month.