Opening Statement of the South Centre to the WHO INB4
February 27, 2023
The South Centre, the international organization and think tank of 55 developing countries, appreciates the opportunity to provide a statement.
We applaud the effort done so far, yet consider that the current Zero Draft is not ambitious enough.
The Zero Draft text should be read against the purported objectives of the international instrument…
Towards a Latin American agency to regulate medicines
Through Ministry of Health, the Colombian government is promoting the creation of a regional agency to regulate medicines.
Written Statement at the Workshop on Promoting and protecting economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic
Measurement and elimination of global poverty and inequalities
Carlos Correa, Executive Director, South Centre
7 February 2023
Organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
South Centre Statement on the extension of the TRIPS waiver for diagnostics and therapeutics for COVID-19
Developing countries should consider options that can be implemented now to deal with IP barriers to expand production and access to COVID-19 therapeutics and diagnostics, while the so far elusive decision on whether to extend a TRIPS waiver to cover these products is taken by WTO.
WHO, WIPO & WTO Trilateral Symposium 2022 Opening Statement
by Viviana Munoz Tellez
The world was unprepared prior to the Covid-19 crisis and remains so for new ones. The Covid-19 response was faulty. Covid-19 recovery has been slow and painful, in particular for developing countries. Read the South Centre opening statement at the WHO, WIPO & WTO Trilateral Symposium 2022: Lessons from Covid-19.
South Centre Statement
WHO proposed instrument on pandemics: the Conceptual Zero Draft needs substantial improvement to address global public health needs
We welcome the discussions in the WHO on a new instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. While we appreciate the preparation and sharing with WHO members of the Conceptual Zero Draft (hereinafter ‘the Draft’), we note that more work is needed to address the insufficiency of the tools at the disposal of the WHO that became evident with the COVID-19 pandemic.
27th CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES (COP27) OF THE UNFCCC
STATEMENT OF DR. CARLOS CORREA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTH CENTRE
We all are aware of the magnitude of the climate crisis the world is facing. We are also aware that its impact is not the same for all countries and populations. The disasters we are witnessing affect most severely developing countries which historically have not been responsible for the emissions that put at risk the life in the planet. Those countries, the most affected, have the lowest capacity to address the devastating effects of climate change events and to adapt to and mitigate them.
Climate change is a cross-cutting issue. However, the international system operates in silos and has been incapable of ensuring the adoption of the multiple and coordinated policies necessary to address it. The South Centre, as an intergovernmental organization of developing countries, attaches particular importance to and focuses its work on the intersection of climate change policies with other policy frameworks.
Vacancy Announcement:
Consultant / Antimicrobial Resistance
The South Centre is seeking to fill a consultancy position to support its activities in the area of tackling antimicrobial resistance in developing countries.
SOUTH CENTRE STATEMENT TO THE EIGHTH SESSION OF THE OPEN-ENDED INTERGOVERNMENTAL WORKING GROUP ON TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS AND OTHER BUSINESS ENTERPRISES
Human rights violations in the context of business operations, either directly by transnational corporations or through their supply chains, have disproportionately affected developing countries, as has been consistently highlighted in this OEIGWG.
A constructive participation from all members of the OEIGWG is necessary to achieve the mandate of HRC Resolution 26/9, that is, to establish a comprehensive and effective legally binding framework that can prevent the violation and abuses of human rights and provide effective remedies and access to justice individually or collectively for victims in those jurisdictions where the businesses are established.
Statement by Dr. Carlos Correa, Executive Director of the South Centre, to the Ministers and Governors Meeting of the Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four (G24)
October 2022, Washington, D.C.
Amid multiple crises and facing gloomier global economic prospects for 2023, the Ministers and Governors meeting of the Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on International Monetary Affairs and Development (G24) was held on 11 October 2022 during the IMF and World Bank annual meeting. The South Centre is an observer of the G24. The written statement of Dr. Carlos Correa, the Executive Director of the South Centre, was circulated at the meeting.
The South Centre invites applications from the members of the Antibiotic Resistance Coalition (ARC) and other civil society organizations or research institutions from developing countries for limited financial funding (maximum 2000 USD per campaign) to design and launch campaigns or support continuing advocacy efforts at the sides of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2022.
We regret to inform that the South Centre event during the WTO Public Forum, Session 79, “The Future of the TRIPS Agreement: Part 2” on 29 September is cancelled. Session 120 “Mainstreaming Development in the WTO” on 30 September will be held as scheduled.
Over the years the South Centre has organized various events in the WTO Public Forum.
We have strongly supported the aim of the Public Forum to provide a platform for frank discussions among policy makers, civil society representatives, business people and researchers as they consider how to make trade work for more people and ensure that the trading system is as inclusive as it can be. The Public Forum in 2021 allowed in person and virtual participation of speakers and participants. This enabled many stakeholders from the Global South to engage, who otherwise would not have been able to do so.
Unfortunately this policy was not continued for the 2022 Public Forum.
We learnt at late notice that speakers were not allowed to join virtually and that our event would not be live-streamed.
No further explanations were provided, despite our repeated requests to the WTO Secretariat.
The WTO should be at the forefront of embracing use of telecommunications technology to open trade dialogue to all and reducing environmental impact of air travel.
This event will now be held as a South Centre webinar on 11 October at 10:00 am Geneva time.
For more information, see https://ipaccessmeds.southcentre.int/event/the-future-of-the-trips-agreement-part-2/
