127. The representative of Egypt said that he believed that engaging in technical cooperation and capacity building activities were a core function and mandate in the TRIPS system. Through effective technical cooperation and capacity building activities, developing and least developed countries could reap specific benefits and make full use of the TRIPS Agreement and its flexibilities. As was mentioned by the delegate of Brazil, at the Council's meeting in October 2009, the African Group had referred to the key principles that were enshrined in Cluster A of the WIPO Development Agenda that had been adopted by the WIPO member states as containing the principles that should guide technical assistance and capacity building in the area of intellectual property. He believed that they represented a consensus among them that reflected an approach to the broad concepts of technical assistance and capacity building in areas of intellectual property and were not specifically pertaining to one institutional context to the exclusion of others. The principles entailed the essence of ongoing efforts to bring about a balance in the intellectual property protection debate, and should, at a minimum, ensure widespread endorsements. He called on all Members to focus on those essential principles and provide qualitative assessments of their technical assistance and capacity building efforts accordingly. In this regard, Egypt welcomed the proposal that had been presented in document IP/C/W/513 by Brazil to integrate Cluster A of the WIPO Development Agenda into the discussion in the WTO on technical cooperation and capacity building. In this regard he welcomed any additions and appendices to this document.
