Trade : South countries demand text-based negotiations on TRIPS waiver (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
Almost two dozen countries have demanded urgent text-based negotiations on concluding an agreement on the TRIPS waiver in combating the COVID-19 pandemic by suspending certain provisions of the WTO's TRIPS Agreement to ramp up the production of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines across many countries, trade envoys told the SUNS.

Trade : US to work with DG and like-minded members on WTO reform (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The United States has said that it will "work with World Trade Organization's Director-General Okonjo-Iweala and like-minded trading partners to implement necessary reforms to the WTO's substantive rules and procedures to address the challenges facing the global trading system, including growing inequality, digital transformation, and impediments to small business trade."

COVID-19 : Neo-liberal finance undermines poor countries' recovery (PRIV)
(IPS, Sydney/Kuala Lumpur)
Sydney/Kuala Lumpur, 2 Mar (IPS/Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram*) -- After being undermined by decades of financial liberalisation, developing countries now are not only victims of vaccine imperialism, but also cannot count on much financial support as their COVID-19 recessions drag on due to global vaccine apartheid.