Minutes - TRIPS Council - View details of the intervention/statement

Ambassador Dacio Castillo (Honduras)
10 TENTH ANNUAL REVIEW UNDER PARAGRAPH 2 OF THE DECISION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTICLE 66.2 OF THE TRIPS AGREEMENT
185. The representative of Australia said that her delegation was committed to assisting least developed Members in the area of technology transfer pursuant to the Council's decision on the implementation of Article 66.2. Australia, like others, welcomed the holding of workshops on this issue and had attended them since their inception. The workshops provided a useful forum for an exchange of views to improve the understanding on both sides on how to prepare and read the reports. In presenting Australia's new detailed report for 2012, she said that her delegation had been mindful in producing it off LDC comments and questions on the previous reports. It provided information on the Australian Government's incentives and support to Australian institutions and enterprises to promote and encourage technology transfer to LDCs. It included examples of supported projects and activities to show the practical functioning of these incentives. In this report, technology transfer was defined broadly and was taken to include training, education and knowledge. 186. This year her delegation had made a particular effort to include programmes that support or provide incentives for projects or activities involving a specifically technical or technological component. Australia considered that the education of LDC nationals and their training in the use and management of technological equipment comprised two of the most effective means of transferring technology and knowledge, which was why a significant portion of Australia’s assistance was directed at these activities. 187. In response to the proposal for standardized reporting, she said that Australia supported efforts to improve the transparency of reporting under Article 66.2. She had heard presentations on the LDCs' proposed standard format in the dedicated workshop on Article 66.2 on 5 November and welcomed further discussion and clarification on the elements of that standard format. Her delegation had considered the standard format and would continue to do so over the next year. While in the 2012 report Australia had endeavoured to include information to address what had been requested in the template, it was not in a position to fully adopt the standard format for the 2012 report. Australia provided incentives for and supported technology transfer to LDCs in various ways, and the template would place undue constraints on its reporting, as full details were not always available on a given programme, or it might not fit easily into the standard format. Her delegation would, however, continue to welcome further discussion on this topic.
IP/C/M/71