131. The representative of Switzerland thanked the delegation of Bangladesh for introducing its priority needs assessment report. He said that, by bringing together the various stakeholders concerned with the implementation of technical cooperation and capacity building under Article 67, the workshop on LDC priority needs had greatly enhanced the understanding of participants regarding the question of if and how existing international coordination mechanisms and available expertise could be made use of also for the purposes of responding in an effective and expeditious manner to LDC priority needs assessments and national technical cooperation programmes in the TRIPS area in addition to and beyond assistance by individual donors. He also thanked Brazil for the two submissions presented in previous meetings. As a member of WIPO and the WTO, as well as in its own national capacity, Switzerland had developed its technical assistance and capacity building activities in full cooperation with beneficiary countries according to their needs. Technical cooperation and capacity building should certainly be demand-driven, transparent and accountable. Those were very horizontal principles for the delivery of technical cooperation and capacity building. However, subscription to these broad principles did not require a formal link between the recommendations contained in the Development Agenda and Article 67. Switzerland had been closely involved in the work and negotiations in WIPO that had led to the adoption of the 45 recommendations of the Development Agenda. Those recommendations specifically addressed the mandate and the work of WIPO as agreed in the context of WIPO's Development Agenda. Most of them, including many under Cluster A, did not make sense outside of that context as they concerned the core mission responsibilities, capabilities and resources of WIPO, as had already been stated by other delegations. In conclusion, he reiterated Switzerland's commitment with regard to the related issues in both the WTO and WIPO. He believed that the two Organizations should work collaboratively, but each of them within its respective context and mandate.
