H.E. Ambassador Dagfinn Sørli and Ambassador Dr. Lansana Gberie

Sierra Leone

10 FOLLOW-UP TO THE NINETEENTH ANNUAL REVIEW UNDER PARAGRAPH 2 OF THE DECISION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTICLE 66.2 OF THE TRIPS AGREEMENT

154.   My delegation thanks the Secretariat for organizing the annual Workshop on the implementation of Article 66.2 of the TRIPS agreement from 2-4 March 2022. We are particularly grateful that despite COVID-19 and the travel restrictions the Secretariat was able to organize the Workshop and continue the exchange of this important issue virtually. We believe this platform provides paralleled opportunity for the participants both from the LDCs and reporting Members to have a needs-based and focused discussion on technology transfer issues. We trust that this dialogue will inform the Secretariat and developed country Members on technical assistance and technology transfer programmes. In this context, Sierra Leone has tentatively prioritized the following sectors/areas for technology transfer to the country: 1) business, trade and finance, 2) manufacturing, 3) agriculture and food, 4) ICT and 5) environment and climate change. We call on developed country Members to initiate targeted activities and projects to transfer specific technologies in those specific priority areas. Sierra Leone thanks the developed country Members for their annual reports under TRIPS Article 66.2 and we encourage them to continue assisting LDCs and increase their outreach and the level of assistance in the transfer of technology under Article 66.2. in the interest of promoting effective implementation and impact of Article 66.2, my delegation kindly suggests reporting Members to share with LDCs the final project evaluation reports, particularly with effect to technology transfer adoption in the LDCs concerned. We stand ready to continue constructive dialogue with Members.

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

51. The Chair recalled that the Council had conducted the Nineteenth Annual Review under Paragraph 2 of the Decision on the Implementation of Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement at its meeting in October 2021. At that meeting delegations from developed country Members had briefly presented the updated reports they had submitted under Article 66.2, and the Council had agreed that it would revert to the item at the present meeting to permit continued consideration of the submitted material. He also recalled that, in July 2020, the LDC Group had circulated a new submission entitled "Proposed New Template for Annual Reporting under Article 66.2 of the Agreement on Trade-related Intellectual Property Rights" in document .
52. In order to give LDCs more time to absorb the information provided by developed country Members in their reports, and to ensure that these reports were available in the official languages of the WTO, the Secretariat had once again organized a "Workshop on the Implementation of the Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement". Due to the sanitary situation, the workshop had been held in virtual format on 2, 3 and 4 March 2022. The Chair indicated that some capital-based delegates who had participated in that Workshop were present at the meeting.
53. The Chair asked the Secretariat to report on this Workshop.
54. A representative of the Secretariat took the floor.
55. The representatives of Sierra Leone; Chad,; Bangladesh; Togo; Nepal; Tanzania; Norway; the European Union; the United Kingdom, South Africa; Japan; Switzerland; the United States; Canada; and Australia took the floor.
56. The Council took note of the statements made and agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting.

IP/C/M/104/Add.1, IP/C/M/104/Rev.1, IP/C/M104