The head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) sees an opportunity for the Caribbean to be a production centre for vaccines.

WTO director-general Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the region already has knowledge bases to do so as she reflected on the vaccine inequity that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nigerian economist was speaking today during a discussion titled The Role Of Trade In Global Public Goods, which was held by the Central Bank at the Frank Collymore Hall.

The event also featured Caribbean Development Bank President Dr Gene Leon and was moderated by Dr Jan Yves Remy, director of the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill.

Okonjo-Iweala, who served on the CARICOM Commission On The Economy, acknowledged that the WTO rules governing vaccine procurement “could be much better”.

“I would like to see us at the WTO agree to a set of rules so that in a futuer pandemic we don’t have to debate issues anymore but automatically some rules, some modalities, for being part of the solution will automatically kick in,” she said.

 

 

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