<span style="color: #222222;">US trade Representative Katherine Tai virtually met World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to discuss increasing vaccine production and the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver on COVID-19 vaccines for the pandemic.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">According to a statement from her office yesterday, Tai explained the US administration's support for the waiver of intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines and explained that this fits the United States' comprehensive effort to expand vaccine manufacturing and distribution around the world.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Earlier, the US Trade Representative also met Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to discuss on the same issues.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">She also explained her support for the TRIPS waiver and text-based negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO), which are part of the Biden-Harris Administration's comprehensive effort to expand vaccine manufacturing and distribution around the world.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Tai recognized the WTO Members who have expressed support for future negotiations and welcomed an update from Goyal about India's efforts to revise and resubmit their waiver proposal. She and the Union Minister agreed to stay in regular communication in the days ahead.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The TRIPS waiver aims to increase global vaccine production in order to take on the challenge of vaccinating the poorest of the poor and save lives.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">In October last year, India and South Africa, along with 57 members of WTO proposed a waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS agreement for prevention, containment, and treatment of COVID-19.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />''  <br />