Bolivia

Research Paper 136, September 2021

Canada’s Political Choices Restrain Vaccine Equity: The Bolivia-Biolyse Case

By Muhammad Zaheer Abbas, PhD

The COVID-19 pandemic has already claimed more than 4.6 million lives and caused significant economic harm. The Coronavirus is still circulating to cause further damage. In this context, this research paper argues that Canada’s political choices have restrained the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Part I evaluates Canada’s nationalistic approach of procuring COVID-19 vaccines more than its needs through secretly concluded pre-purchase agreements with brand-name pharmaceutical corporations as advised by a secretly born task force having clear ties with the vaccine industry. Part II examines Canada’s wavering and non-committal position on the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Waiver proposal. Canada’s confusing position of ‘not blocking’ the TRIPS Waiver while not supporting it either lacks legal clarity. Part III analyses the Bolivia-Biolyse case which highlights clear contradictions between statements and actions of the Canadian government. Since March 2021, Biolyse Pharma has been hamstrung by the first step in Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR), where a preliminary requirement is that the COVID-19 vaccine must be added to Schedule 1 of the Canadian federal Patent Act before applying for an export-oriented compulsory licence. The Bolivia-Biolyse case is important as a test case for the CAMR system. Workability of this export-oriented compulsory licensing regime is critical for low- and middle-income countries in the Global South lacking the domestic capacity to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines. The Bolivia-Biolyse case is also important as Canada has argued at the World Trade Organization (WTO) that the TRIPS Waiver is not required because the existing mechanisms are working as intended.

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Policy Brief 98, July 2021

The Implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas: what is next?

By Luis Fernando Rosales Lozada

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) was adopted in December 2018. However, its application seems challenging. The South Centre organized a virtual meeting to discuss the implementation of the UNDROP on 4th June 2021, aiming to promote a debate about future actions to move forward the implementation of the UNDROP. The meeting provided an opportunity to listen to the views of government representatives, peasants’ associations, civil society organizations and academia. During the meeting, different questions were discussed such as how the current health and social crisis, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, has impacted the situation of peasants, the role of the UNDROP in promoting and protecting peasants’ rights, the latest developments in the realization of the rights of peasants under the UNDROP and what steps are needed to promote its implementation.

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Informe Sobre Políticas 85, Octubre 2020

Política de industrialización de litio, el caso boliviano

Por Hortensia Jimenez Rivera

El litio es un mineral de gran importancia en la industria tecnológica mundial, lo que lo convierte en un recurso estratégico para un país. Por ello, es responsabilidad del Estado asegurar que su explotación sea una oportunidad para el desarrollo y el bienestar, protegiendo los intereses de su población y maximizando sus beneficios de manera que la gestión de su riqueza no lleve a más pobreza y dependencia.

Las políticas que se adopten para el aprovechamiento de los recursos naturales pasan por definir el régimen de propiedad sobre los recursos y el grado de industrialización en el país, lo que implica –de manera directa– ingresos y desarrollo, para luego resolver aspectos de orden tecnológico, financiero, institucional, legal y de mercado.

Este informe describe la experiencia boliviana de la industrialización del litio, las características de su industrialización bajo una política de desarrollo nacional y revela cómo el tipo de política implementada es determinante para la explotación de un recurso natural.

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