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

Ms Irene Young (Hong Kong, China)
11 TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING
245. Canada was pleased to submit its annual report on the implementation of Article 67, which provides an update on Canada's activities, concerning IP- related technical and financial co-operation for developing and LDC members, covering the 2016-2017 period (document IP/C/W/632/Add.3). Canada has undertaken a number of technical co-operation activities at the multilateral, plurilateral and bilateral levels. At the multilateral level, Canada works in close collaboration with WIPO, as well as the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation or APEC, Intellectual Property Rights Expert Group (IPEG), where Canada participates in APAC's biannual deliberations aimed at sharing information and best practices on IP. 246. Canada also provides a number of technical co-operation activities, which are mainly administered by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Global Affairs Canada, the International Development Research Center and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Other Canadian institutions that receive funding from the Government of Canada, such as the Centre for Trade Policy and Law and the University of Ottawa are also involved in international technical co-operation efforts. We invite the Members to consult the document for further details. 247. With respect to discussions on technical co-operation among TRIPS Council Members, Canada would once again like to thank the Secretariat for convening the WTO Workshop on supporting LDCs in making effective use of IPRs, held 10-11 November 2016. Canada was pleased to participate in this discussion and would also like to thank the workshop participants for the constructive dialogue during the two-day session. Canada took note of the national experiences and sharing of priority needs by developing country and LDC Members at the Workshop and remains interested in hearing Members' views on some of the successes and challenges in seeking technical assistance and co-operation to address their priority needs. 248. Canada would also be interested in hearing how priority needs have changed in LDCs initial work on TRIPS implementation and where gaps and technical assistance might remain. We would also be interested in Members' experiences on the types of technical assistance that has proven most effective in supporting the implementation of TRIPS obligations and in using IP to support economic and social development. Canada looks forward to discussing these issues further with the view to ensuring that technical assistance continues to meet the priority needs and development objectives of its recipients.
The Council took note of the statements made and agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting.
49. The Chairperson recalled that, at its meeting in June, the Council had agreed to hold the annual review of technical cooperation at the present meeting. 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 who also provided technical cooperation were encouraged to share information on these activities. The Secretariat had issued an airgram, on 4 July 2017, reminding Members of this request. Intergovernmental organizations, which were observers to the Council, and the WTO Secretariat had also been invited to provide information.

50. The Council had received information from: Japan, Australia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland and Norway (IP/C/W/632 and its addenda). The report from the European Union and some of its individual member States and agencies, namely Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well as the Community Plant Variety Office had been received shortly before the meeting and was being circulated as an addendum to document IP/C/W/632.

51. The following intergovernmental organizations had also submitted updated information: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), and the World Customs Organization (WCO) (IP/C/W/633 and addenda). Updated information on the WTO Secretariat's own technical cooperation activities in the TRIPS area was available in document IP/C/W/634.

52. The Chairperson said that, since some of the information had been received only very recently, and most of it was, so far, available only in its original language, she intended to provide Members a further opportunity to comment on the information at the Council's next meeting.

53. The representatives of Australia; the United States; Norway; the European Union; Canada; Japan; New Zealand, the WTO Secretariat, ARIPO, the GCC, the WHO, UNCTAD, India, Brazil, and China took the floor.

54. The Chairperson said that the reports by Members and IGO observers provided valuable information about specific activities, as well as the broader policy considerations that were guiding capacity building activities of individual Members and Observers. She encouraged Members to make good use of this resource.

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

IP/C/M/87, IP/C/M/87/Add.1