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. Singapore – 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. Singapore has been hit hard by COVID-19, both socially and economically. For example, by the middle of 2020, Singapore's annual GDP growth dropped 13.2% compared with the year prior – an unprecedented decline.

Embracing innovation and supporting innovative industries could help reverse economic setbacks from the pandemic. Singapore appears to appreciate this fact, ranking 8th out of the 131 economies featured in the 2020 Global Innovation Index.

And they continue to show appreciation for the role of IP, innovation and collaboration in addressing our current challenges:

• At the WIPO Assemblies of the Member States meeting in September, Singapore reinforced the critical role of IP, stating “the pandemic has amplified the importance of innovation as we search for a Covid-19 vaccine and related innovations…In this new climate, we anticipate new ideas and innovations to emerge with greater urgency. In light of this, our work in enabling sound IP protection, management and commercialization has never been more important.”
• At the 73rd World Health Assembly in May, Singapore emphasized the role of broad collaboration, noting “we can learn from each other and cooperate with one another as we fight this pandemic. This is a challenge that no single country can succeed on its own. The COVID-19 Response resolution sends a strong signal to the world that global solidarity is needed to win this war against the virus.”
• And all of this builds on an already strong foundation within Singapore; in a detailed plan released earlier this year, the country recognized that “research, innovation and enterprise are cornerstones of Singapore’s national strategy.”

Singapore should continue to speak up to defend IP and innovation, which it very much supports for its own 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.