DDG González stressed the commitment of the WTO to help its members better understand and address trade issues related to the pandemic. “With this vision, we have designed this workshop to improve our understanding of the rapidly evolving and complex aspects of COVID-19 research and development, manufacturing, and distribution, from a practical perspective,” she said.

Speakers at the event included government officials from Chile, Lao PDR and Morocco, and representatives of international organizations, such as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Participants also heard the perspective of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) — a public/private innovative global partnership — as well as challenges faced by vaccine manufacturers and logistics companies including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Novavax and DHL

Panellists shared their practical experiences and insights on how to source inputs globally, streamline the regulatory process and distribution and keep in mind the necessary considerations to prepare for successful vaccination campaigns.

The video of the session is available here. The programme, speakers' biographies and background materials are available here.

The WTO COVID-19 gateway, which contains up-to-date trade-related information, is available here.