Piyush Goyal slams developed countries for not helping developing nations during COVID

Leading India at the 12th World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference in Geneva, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal highlighted how there were a few developed countries that did not come forward to help the underdeveloped or developing countries during COVID-19.

Recollecting the time, when India and South Africa had together moved the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver proposal in 2020, the Union Minister highlighted that it was with the aim to promote the production of medical products in underdeveloped and developing countries, most of which have a wide population. 

"Reasonably priced vaccines, medicines, testing kits, diagnostic, everything... they could provide it all to their people," said Goyal, moving on to highlight that the proposal was moved after witnessing the n-number of challenges that India faced during the initial days of the pandemic- starting from Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits to testing equipment, which were not even produced in the country before March 2020. 

'They should bow their heads in shame': Goyal

"When we used to seek help from the developed countries, we could not get it since there was a scarcity. Some people had put a ban on their export, some formally and some informally...If at all the items were sent, they were found to be of substandard quality," Piyush Goyal said. 

The Commerce and Industry Minister added, "It is very unfortunate, that a few countries for the profit of pharma companies, were levering harm on the whole world. They snatched the rights that even the poorest of the poor have. I feel that it is for such countries, which even during the time of the pandemic, kept monetary gains ahead of the lives of the people, that the world is moving backwards...These countries should bow their heads down in shame for their behaviour." 

The 12th WTO ministerial conference began on June 12 in Geneva after a gap of almost five years. The key areas of discussions and negotiations at this year’s conference include WTO’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Fisheries subsidies negotiations, Agriculture issues including Public Stockholding for Food Security, WTO Reforms and Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmission.