UNICEF's position is that we of course want to see every action possible taken to lift any barriers to expanding manufacturing capacity. For future pandemics, if we had a more geographically diverse manufacturing base, that would be a good thing. However, as Dr. Berkley has said, lifting the TRIPS waiver wouldn't have made a difference in this pandemic, because on its own it's not enough.
With regard to expanding capacity for manufacturing vaccines, which are not the same as drugs and involve a much more complex process involving multiple components, we've been very pleased to see voluntary licensing and proactive partnership between IP holders and manufacturers. Where that has happened, it has been because of technology transfer, the sharing of know-how and voluntary licensing and proactive partnership. All those things are essential. Lifting IP rights on its own isn't enough. It wouldn't allow a manufacturer to become sufficiently expert to be able to make vaccines. As we've just heard, the Moderna example illustrates that.
It's very much worth pursuing all avenues to expanding geographic manufacturing capacity in the coming years in preparation for a future pandemic, but the priority during this pandemic has been to encourage proactive partnership, sharing of know-how, technology transfer and making sure that manufacturers that are able to produce safe and effective vaccines with appropriate regulatory oversight can do so. There are plenty of good examples of that happening without a TRIPS waiver.