Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers have agreed to expedite the flow and distribution of vaccines and other vital medical supplies to combat the coronavirus pandemic. They also promised to work “proactively and urgently” to support text-based discussions at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to waive intellectual property protections on COVID-19 vaccines.

The ministers, who met virtually on June 4–5, said “bold action” was needed in three areas: to use trade as a tool to respond to the pandemic, to support a rules-based multilateral trading system, and to ensure that “the economic settings in each of our economies enable trade and investment to become driving forces for our long-term economic prosperity.” Specifically, they agreed to “prioritize work to identify and subsequently consider removing unnecessary barriers to trade in services, particularly those services that expedite and facilitate the flow of essential goods.”

The 21 APEC economies did not, however, commit to removing or lowering tariffs. Most members of the Ottawa Group (Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, and Singapore) are also members of APEC. The Ottawa Group has urged WTO members to boost cooperation and work to enhance global rules to facilitate trade in essential medical goods. While average APEC tariffs on vaccines are low, at around 0.8%, tariffs are higher on other products that are important in the vaccine supply chain. Tariffs on alcohol solutions, freezing equipment, packaging and storage materials, vials, and rubber stoppers average more than 5% and can be as high as 30% in some APEC countries.

Members of the bloc also said in a stand-alone statement on COVID-19 vaccine supply chains that “while WTO rules permit export restrictions or prohibitions in certain circumstances, we emphasize economies who adopt such measures with respect to COVID-19 vaccines and related goods will evaluate their ongoing necessity as COVID-19 conditions change, in order to ensure they remain targeted, proportional, transparent, temporary, and do not create unnecessary barriers to trade. We call on other WTO members to exercise equal restraint.”

Many health experts consider trade barriers hindering the import and export of the vaccines as one of the biggest factors preventing more inoculations in developing countries.

APEC also reiterated its commitment to creating a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific and called for a “comprehensive and meaningful agreement” to reduce harmful fishing subsidies by the end of July. Ministers said that one of the most significant contributions the WTO can make to underpin its credibility as a forum for negotiating new rules and to safeguard natural resources is the successful conclusion of fisheries talks this year. The WTO’s ministerial conference is scheduled for November 30 to December 3.

This article was originally published in IISD’s Trade and Sustainability Review, Volume 1, Issue 3.