'Last few tweaks' being made to COVID IP waiver deal: WTO chief

The head of the World Trade Organization told Reuters on Thursday that negotiations on an intellectual property deal for COVID-19 vaccines were ongoing between the four parties, saying they were seeking to agree on the proposal's final terms. It is not true," Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told Reuters by telephone.

The head of the World Trade Organization told Reuters on Thursday that negotiations on an intellectual property deal for COVID-19 vaccines were ongoing between the four parties, saying they were seeking to agree on the proposal's final terms. Since the draft compromise emerged in the media a month ago, pressure from civil society groups has been rising for the parties -- the United States, the European Union, India and South Africa -- to walk away from the deal.

"People are saying the text is now being rejected. It is not true," Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told Reuters by telephone. "They are still trying to iron out the last things. It's just the last few tweaks," she said.