H.E. Ambassador Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peter (South Africa)

Mali

12 TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND CAPACITY-BUILDING

441.   I would also like to thank all the development partners that help Mali, that support us and that provide us with very effective assistance. Allow me to give you a few examples. During the COVID19 lockdown period, we had young innovators and inventors who developed a number of systems. Again, I am just citing a few examples of start-ups that devised innovations for businesses: an artificial respirator, a disinfecting portal, an intelligent hand washing apparatus, a negative pressure ventilator and mobile applications. These young people only ask to be supported and recognized because as we saw, the closing of borders has been disastrous for us; especially for Mali, which is landlocked. I reiterate that assistance is necessary and indispensable to us to help these young people through scholarships and funds to multiply their ideas and for these inventions to be made available in large numbers to hospitals and clinics. This would be very useful and a very good thing. This concretely is the type of assistance that young people need. These startups do not have the funds but lack no amount of creativity to make inventions that we needed and used during the pandemic.

The Council took note of the statements made and agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting.

64. The Chair recalled that, at its July 2020 meeting, the Council had agreed to hold the annual review of technical cooperation at its next meeting. Thus, developed country Members had been requested to update information on their technical and financial cooperation activities relevant to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement. Other Members, which also provided technical cooperation were encouraged to share information on their activities. The Secretariat had issued a reminder. Intergovernmental organizations, observers to the Council and the WTO Secretariat had also been invited to provide information.
65. The Council had received information from: Japan, Switzerland, Australia, United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway. Since the circulation of the revised agenda, the Council had received further information from the European Union. These reports were being circulated under the new dedicated document series with the symbol IP/C/R/TC/[Member]/1 – where "R" stands for "Reports" and "TC" stands for "Technical Cooperation". The following intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) had also submitted updated information: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), World Health Organization (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC). Their reports were being circulated in the same document series IP/C/R/TC/[IGO observer]/1. Information on the WTO Secretariat's own technical cooperation activities in the TRIPS area could be found in document . She invited Members to introduce their reports.
66. The representatives of the United States of America; the United Kingdom; Japan; Australia; Canada; the European Union; Bangladesh; Switzerland; Brazil; Chad, on behalf of the LDC Group; Mali; and South Africa took the floor.
67. The Chair invited the WTO Secretariat to present its report on technical cooperation activities.
68. The representative of the Secretariat took the floor.
69. The Chair invited the representatives of IGO observers to present their reports on technical cooperation activities.
70. The representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); World Health Organization (WHO); and the United National Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) took the floor.
71. The Chair invited Members to comment.
72. The representatives of Sri Lanka; Chad, on behalf of the LDC Group; and India took the floor.
73. The Chair thanked Members and IGO observers for the valuable information. As some information had been recently submitted and was available only in its original language, she would provide Members an opportunity to make further comments, at the next meeting.
74. The Council took note of the statements made and agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting.

IP/C/M/96, IP/C/M/96/Add.1