COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic nearly a year ago, and in that time, global leaders have increasingly seen the importance of innovation and collaboration in addressing this major global health challenge. Germany – as one of only 34 countries represented on the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board in 2021 – has an extraordinary opportunity to advance efforts that fuel progress and support a strong intellectual property (IP) and innovation ecosystem.

One such opportunity is when the Executive Board continues conversations on the Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (GSPOA). The GSPOA, negotiated and approved 13 years ago, helps countries set policies to support discovery of new treatments and cures for diseases disproportionately affecting developing nations.

Importantly, the GSPOA views IP as “an important incentive in the development of health care products.” However, as nations look to speed COVID-19 therapies and vaccines to people worldwide, some leaders have supported misguided policies, such as compulsory licensing, that could inadvertently delay efforts to contain the pandemic. Proposals to erode or suspend longstanding intellectual property policies threaten much-needed innovation for developing and developed nations alike. Such focus also strays from the WHO’s main mission of leading the global coordination and response to pandemics like the coronavirus and other health emergencies – which should remain the priority, especially now.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll, but it has also spurred unprecedented collaboration and innovation to address it – due, in no small part, to strong IP systems that protect innovators. Germany has been hit hard by COVID-19, both socially and economically. For example, Germany's annual GDP growth dropped 10.1% in the second quarter of 2020 – an unprecedented decline.

Embracing innovation and supporting innovative industries could help reverse economic setbacks from the pandemic. Germany appears to appreciate this fact, ranking 9th out of the 131 economies featured in the 2020 Global Innovation Index.

It is no surprise they have historically shown appreciation for the role of IP, innovation and collaboration, as well as in addressing our current challenges:

• At the WIPO Assemblies of the Member States meeting in September, Germany noted “COVID-19 and the measures to combat this pandemic have had, and continue to have, serious consequences for the global economy. Historically, intellectual property rights have proven to be a driver of innovation, competitiveness and economic development.”
• At the World Health Assembly in May, Chancellor Angela Merkel underscored a need for collaboration, emphasizing that COVID-19 has “showed that virtually no country has been spared by this pandemic so no country can solve this problem alone. We must work together."

Germany should continue to speak up to defend IP and innovation, which it very much supports for its own nation’s prosperity, as well as advocate for continued partnerships, including collaboration with private sector. In doing so, we can end the coronavirus pandemic and improve global health.