SME Times News Bureau | 13 Oct, 2021
Union
Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal has called for
waiver of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and dismantling new trade
barriers in the global fight against the COVID19 pandemic.
“Our
response to the pandemic needs to ensure equitable access to vaccines
and other COVID-19 related health products by ensuring quick resolution
of the supply side constraints. One of the ways to demonstrate this is
by accepting the TRIPS waiver proposal,” Goyal said, in his address
to the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting in Naples, Italy.
Shri
Goyal called for actively resolving new trade barriers like vaccine
differentiations or COVID passports, which impose mobility restrictions
and impede the movement of personnel needed for delivering critical
services.
“COVID-19
crisis is a powerful reminder of our inter-connectedness, and the need
for a coordinated global strategy to overcome such an unprecedented
public health situation,” he said.
Goyal underlined the need for an early universal vaccination against Covid19.
“Apart
from focusing on facilitating free flow of goods, I invite G20
countries to join in efforts to make health services accessible and more
affordable by the citizens of the world by enabling free flow of health
services,” he said, adding,“as a quick response to the pandemic, I am
happy to inform that our telemedicine initiative “e Sanjeevani”, has
been serving millions of Indians. I am happy to offer it to the entire
world.”
Calling
for an equitable and balanced outcome to the trade negotiations in the
Fisheries sector, Goyal advocated that countries engaged in distant
water fishing should stop subsidizing their fishing in high seas and
gradually reduce their fishing capacities, particularly, for overfished
stocks.
“To
achieve balanced outcomes in Fisheries Subsidies, policy space for
future is a must, not only to protect the livelihoods of poor and
marginal fishermen and address, the food security concerns but also to
diversify, modernise and develop the fisheries sector, he said.
Separately, Goyal also discussed the Agreement on joint
multilateral positions in Fisheries etc with his Australian counterpart
during a one-to-one meeting recently.
In
his G20 Ministerial Address, meanwhile, Goyal also said India is
committed towards the United Nations 2030 Agenda on Sustainable
Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“India
is among the few countries which is on track to exceed its commitments
as per the Paris Agreement. We urge the Members to fulfil their
commitments regarding Transfer Of Technology and Climate Finance, which
are far from being fulfilled by the Developed Countries,” he said.
Goyal said sustainability cannot be seen in isolation and has to be
linked to making available grant based, long tenure, low cost and
concessional & affordable technologies.
“India
has consistently maintained that environmental/sustainability measures
need careful assessment to ensure that they do not become new trade
barriers and the right forum for them is the dedicated Multilateral
Environmental Agreements,” he said.
On
Tuesday, it turned out to be a power packed day for Commerce Minister
Piyush Goyal on the sidelines of the G20 Trade Ministers Meeting at
Sorrento, Italy. He met with nearly 15 Ministers to advance India's
trade position and negotiated bilateral and multilateral agreements.
Among the countries and dignitaries met included DG WTO, US, UK, EU,
Brazil, China, Australia, South Africa, Indonesia, Canada, South Korea
and Mexico.
Goyal unequivocally put forth the position that India is working towards the success of the upcoming WTO 12thMinisterial
Conference (WTO MC12) next month but the outcome must be just and
equitable. “Historical wrongs against developing countries must be
corrected rather than being carried over,” he said.
In
his meetings with the Canadian Minister, Goyal discussed steps to
take forward the FTA negotiations with the newly elected Government
while he called upon his South Korean and EU counterparts to accelerate
review of the FTA. With the Mexican Minister, Shri Goyal discussed
cooperation in healthcare. Shri Goyal also met with the DG, WTO to
discuss the MC12 agenda.