ICESCR concluding observations 2025, paragraph 63
Plain English recommendation
Government should ensure that trade agreements are in line with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), including in other counties. Therefore, Government should support:
(a) The temporary pause on the application of some intellectual property rules (known as TRIPS) for COVID-19 vaccines, tests, treatments and other necessary medical products;
(b) Ongoing talks for the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Pandemic Agreement, which focuses on making life-saving treatments available, accessible, affordable and fairly shared, especially in developing countries. It should follow UN advice on science and economic, social and cultural rights, its statement on the COVID-19 pandemic and economic, social and cultural rights and its statement on universal and fair access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Original UN recommendation
The Committee recommends that the State Party ensure that trade agreements are implemented in a manner consistent with its obligations under the Covenant with regard to the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights in other countries. In that regard, it recommends that the State Party give its firm support and cooperation to:
(a) the full temporary waiver on the implementation of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights as it pertains to vaccines, diagnostics, treatments and other necessary medical products relating to COVID-19;
(b) the WHO Pandemic Agreement negotiations, as they affect the availability, accessibility, affordability and benefit-sharing of essential life-saving treatment, especially in developing countries. The Committee also recommends that the State Party be guided by paragraph 82 of the Committee’s general comment No. 25 (2020) on science and economic, social and cultural rights and the Committee’s statements on the COVID 19 pandemic and economic, social and cultural rights and on universal and equitable access to vaccines for COVID-19.
Date of UN examination
12/03/2025
Original UN document
Download the original ICESCR concluding observations 2025 on the UN website.
Last updated on 21/08/2025