Stop all trade and investment treaty negotiations during COVID-19 crisis and focus on access to medical supplies and saving lives

A statement by Friends of the Earth International and numerous endorsers calling on World Trade Organization (WTO) members to halt all trade and investment treaty negotiations during the COVID-19 pandemic to prioritize the production and distribution of medical supplies.

• The authors argue that governments lack the staff and resources to manage the health crisis, with pressures being particularly severe for developing countries. They highlight critical shortages of personal protective equipment, masks, ventilators, vaccines, and medicines.
• There is concern that existing intellectual property obligations under the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and various free trade agreements may obstruct the supply, affordability, and access to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines.
• The document criticizes the continuation of bilateral, regional, and WTO trade negotiations via virtual technologies, stating that the digital divide makes participation unfeasible for many least developed and developing countries.
• The authors demand that the sole priority for trade negotiators be the removal of all obstacles, specifically including intellectual property rules, that prevent affordable and timely access to diagnostics, devices, vaccines, and lifesaving medicines.
• The statement calls for an immediate end to unilateral sanctions that block countries from acquiring essential medical supplies.
• The authors urge WTO Members to allow countries the flexibility to bypass trade rules that hinder pandemic resolution without fear of repercussions, and to stop all other negotiations that divert resources from this goal.
• The document asserts that the pandemic requires a fundamental reconsideration of trade agreement rules, particularly those that foster monopolies and limit affordable access to medical supplies.

APA

admin (2020). Stop all trade and investment treaty negotiations during COVID-19 crisis and focus on access to medical supplies and saving lives. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/stop-all-trade-and-investment-treaty-negotiations-during-covid-19-crisis-and-focus-on-access-to-medical-supplies-and-saving-lives/

Chicago

admin. Stop all trade and investment treaty negotiations during COVID-19 crisis and focus on access to medical supplies and saving lives. Friends of the Earth International, 2020. https://www.foei.org/stop-all-trade-and-investment-treaty-negotiations-during-covid-19-crisis-and-focus-on-access-to-medical-supplies-and-saving-lives/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=admin |title=Stop all trade and investment treaty negotiations during COVID-19 crisis and focus on access to medical supplies and saving lives |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=21 April 2020 |url=https://www.foei.org/stop-all-trade-and-investment-treaty-negotiations-during-covid-19-crisis-and-focus-on-access-to-medical-supplies-and-saving-lives/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2020stop, author = {admin}, title = {{Stop all trade and investment treaty negotiations during COVID-19 crisis and focus on access to medical supplies and saving lives}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.foei.org/stop-all-trade-and-investment-treaty-negotiations-during-covid-19-crisis-and-focus-on-access-to-medical-supplies-and-saving-lives/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }