Global Activism to Make Patented Drugs More Accessible: An ITPC Case Study of Bedaquiline for Treatment of Tuberculosis
By Priti Patnaik
This report documents efforts by civil society organizations (CSOs) in various countries, including Brazil, Ukraine and Thailand, to make Bedaquiline more accessible by using the flexibilities provided in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) – the safeguards in the intellectual property system that take into account public health needs. The case study was undertaken during 2023-2024.
Tuberculosis remains a major global health crisis, with drug-resistant forms requiring newer more effective treatments like Bedaquiline which offers shorter treatment times and fewer side effects than older regimens. The report offers an overview of global and country-specific efforts by CSOs to challenge patents held by Johnson & Johnson on the tuberculosis (TB) drug bedaquiline (BDQ) to improve patient access and affordability. CSOs primarily focused on opposing “evergreening” secondary patents that extend Johnson & Johnson’s monopoly beyond the original patent expiration, arguing that these patents lack inventive merit and artificially inflate prices. Successful actions, such as patent rejections in India and Thailand and Johnson & Johnson’s agreement not to enforce patents in 134 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), are discussed alongside challenges, including judicial difficulties, insufficient political will, and the strategic importance of pursuing pre-grant patent oppositions.
The UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights: Regulating Corporate Power in the Era of Deregulation
South Centre and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Geneva Office Report, March 2026
By Daniel Fernando Uribe Terán
This study examines how the United Nations Legally Binding Instrument (LBI) serves as a vital tool to preserve state sovereignty and to ensure the primacy of human rights in the era of deregulation.
Hosted by the South Centre, 5 March 2026, Virtual (Zoom)
On 5 March 2026, the South Centre convened a virtual webinar to mark the conclusion of its seven-year antimicrobial resistance (AMR) programme, supported by the Fleming Fund, Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), United Kingdom (UK) since 2018. The main objective of the webinar was to present the findings of an Impact Assessment of the programme and to gather reflections from key partners on lessons learned and the way forward. The South Centre emphasised that the end of the Fleming Fund grant marks a transition, not a closure as the organisation remains committed to AMR as a core area of work and is actively seeking new partnerships.
The webinar was opened by Prof. Carlos Correa, Executive Director of the South Centre, and moderated throughout by Dr Viviana Munoz Tellez, Head of the Health, Intellectual Property and Biodiversity programme of the South Centre. Eleven speakers from multilateral institutions, the UK Fleming Fund, government delegations, academics, civil society, and the media shared perspectives and calls to action.
South Centre and One Health Trust Information Note
March 2026
92 million deaths could be averted by 2050 with improved access to antibiotics and infection care. The time to act is now, and it requires both access and stewardship.
Together with One Health Trust, we highlight key recommendations to make it happen in a pointed brief.
* Available in 3 languages (English, Portuguese and Spanish)
MC14 in Yaoundé: Mapping of Member Submissions on WTO Reform
A Reference Note on Member and Group Submissions on WTO Reform, 19 March 2026
By Vahini Naidu
This reference note maps written submissions on WTO reform circulated to the WTO General Council between May 2024 and March 2026, to support negotiators’ preparations for MC14 in Yaoundé. It organises Member and group positions thematically, with comparative tables on issues such as decision‑making and consensus, special and differential treatment, plurilaterals, institutional governance, and dispute settlement, and includes a detailed comparison of the EU and Paraguay draft ministerial decisions on WTO reform. A final cross‑cutting section distils areas of convergence and divergence to offer a factual overview of the current reform landscape.
MC14 in Yaoundé: Consider, Endorse or Finalize? Mixed Procedural Signals in the WTO Reform Package
An Analytical Note on the Procedural Design of the MC14 WTO Reform Package, 17 March 2026
By Vahini Naidu
This note examines the procedural design of the MC14 WTO reform package and its implications for developing countries. It maps six conflicting formulations of what Ministers are expected to do with the draft reform texts, identifies an institutional tilt towards the Facilitator’s document, and shows how non‑binding breakout “takeaways” and informal small group consultations are being used to shape post‑MC14 work. It concludes with practical recommendations for safeguarding a genuinely member‑driven, consensus‑based reform process.
MC14 in Yaoundé: Twenty Questions on the Process Documents
A Note on Questions Arising from the MC14 Documents Released on 6 March 2026, 9 March 2026
By Vahini Naidu
This note raises twenty questions arising from the MC14 process documents released on 6 March 2026. It examines whether the conference architecture is consistent with the Geneva First Principle, the WTO Rules of Procedure, and the member-driven character of the organisation.
South Centre Inputs to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on the United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation (UNFCITC) released three documents in January 2026 to inform negotiations at its Fourth Session, held in February 2026 in New York:
Co-Leads’ Concept Note (23 Jan 2026) prepared by Workstream III, presenting potential design features for dispute prevention and resolution protocol mechanisms.
The South Centre submitted inputs on the three documents on February 26 and March 6, 2026, following a call for input by the INC. The submissions are reproduced below:
Contribution to the Report of the UN Secretary-General on the implementation of General Assembly Resolution on the “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”
South Centre
13 February 2026
The illegal blockade against Cuba is a continuing violation of the UN Charter & international law and must be lifted to allow full realisation of human rights and SDGs. See the South Centre inputs to the UN Secretary-General’s report, emphasising urgent need to end the blockade.
MC14 in Yaoundé: Implementation of Consensus in Ministerial Preparations
An Analytical Note on the Evolving Consensus Practices in the Lead-Up to MC14, 23 February 2026
By Vahini Naidu
This Analytical Note examines four procedural developments in the preparations for MC14 against the consensus requirements of Article IX:1 of the Marrakesh Agreement. These concern: (i) the transmission of the draft fisheries subsidies decision without a formal meeting of the negotiating body; (ii) the General Council Chair’s requirement that Members pre-secure consensus before proposed text can be considered for the Ministerial Declaration; (iii) the conduct of WTO Reform consultations outside formal WTO bodies; and (iv) the separation between the consensus-governed agenda and the non-consensus modalities that shape the Conference programme. Each development engages with one or more of the safeguards embedded in the treaty definition of consensus. The Note observes that these evolving practices, which have not been formally authorized by the membership, may have particular implications for developing countries and LDCs with limited delegation capacity.
Inputs to UN CSTD Working Group on Data Governance at All Levels
Track 3 – Considerations of Sharing the Benefits of Data
South Centre
February 2026
The South Centre submission to the United Nations Working Group on Data Governance highlights how economic and social benefits of data can accrue more equitably to the people and countries of the Global South.
