WTO Council discusses India call for ministers' virtual meet on Covid-19

DG calls for urgent need for multilateral outcome on IP waiver and other issues

The World Trade Organization’s (WTO's) General Council on Monday discussed India's call to convene a virtual ministerial meeting on the multilateral body’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The development comes weeks after India sent a letter to the multilateral body’s General Council Chair, calling for a virtual ministerial meeting on the issue of the WTO’s response to the pandemic, including the proposal to temporarily waive some sections of the Trade-Related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement for Covid-19-related vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.

The General Council is the highest-level decision-making body and meets regularly to carry out the functions of