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

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1. Meeting date

2. Chairperson

H.E. Ambassador Dr. Walter Werner

3. Intervention by

World Health Organization (WHO)

4. Agenda item

11   TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING

5. Statement/summary of statement

297.   The overall objective of the World Health Organization (WHO) technical cooperation is to strengthen the capacity of developing countries to respond to needs in the areas of public health, health innovation, access to medicines and vaccines, and intellectual property. 298.   WHO's technical cooperation is based on its mandate derived from the Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (GSPoA) as well as other relevant resolutions of the World Health Assembly and WHO Regional Committees. 299.   The WHO Secretariat will be presenting at its Executive Board in January 2019 a Roadmap on Access to Medicines, Vaccines and Health Products, developed in consultation with Members, which outlines WHO's work in this area, including activities, actions and deliverables for the period 2019−2023. The access roadmap will include some activities on IP, which are in line with the GSPoA, including the application and management of intellectual property to contribute to innovation and promote public health. 300.   This year WHO published the second edition of a global report on access to hepatitis C treatment that reviews the progress countries have made in expanding access to life-saving DAAs. The report includes the main challenges countries face. It describes recent developments in relation to five key factors that determine access to DAA medicines: affordability, quality assurance, regulatory approval, government commitment and financing. It highlights key areas for action by Ministries of Health and other government decision-makers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and technical partners. It is available in different languages on the WHO website. 301.   Another issue of importance is the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance in all geographical areas, which is jeopardizing the effectiveness of these potentially life-saving treatments. It not only impedes the ability to treat bacterial infections in humans and animals but has broader societal and economic effects that ultimately threaten achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. There are scientific and economic challenges for ensuring investment in R&D. The traditional profit-driven biomedical R&D model has not led to the development of new antibiotic candidates; limited potential commercial markets and consequent low profit margins compared to other investments are being cited as contributory factors. In that sense, WHO published an in-depth analysis of all antibacterial agents currently in clinical development. The report showed a serious lack of new antibiotics under development to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance and found very few potential treatment options for those antibioticresistant infections identified by WHO as posing the greatest threat to health. 302.   The seventh WHO-WIPO-WTO Joint Technical Symposium on "Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Innovative technologies to promote healthy lives and well-being" discussed challenges and opportunities for the international community to ensure that innovative technologies are developed and reach patients in order to realize the right to health and the health-related SDGs. Access to, and innovation in, health technologies is essential for ensuring progress toward universal health coverage and achievement of SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. The discussion highlighted innovative, inclusive, and multistakeholder initiatives and partnerships that research, develop and facilitate access to novel, needs-based health technologies. 303.   Finally, WHO is organizing an inter-agency meeting at the end of November, with technical staff from UN and other international agencies working on IP and health, including the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNAIDS, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNITAID, WIPO, WTO to exchange information on ongoing and planned activities to help avoid duplications and where possible align activities. 304.   Further details about WHO technical support in framing national policies, laws and regulations to favour application and management of intellectual property in a manner that maximizes health-related innovation and promotes access to health products are available in our report (IP/C/W/644/Rev.1/Add.2).

6. Documents referred to in intervention

7. Conclusion

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

8. Summary of the agenda item (if available)

44.   The Chair recalled that in June 2018, the Council had agreed to hold the annual review of technical cooperation at the November 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 made available technical cooperation were encouraged to share information on these activities. The Secretariat had issued an airgram on 5 July 2018 reminding Members of this request. Intergovernmental organizations observers to the Council and the Secretariat had also been invited to provide information.
45.   The Council had received information from the following developed country Members: United States of America, Switzerland, Australia, Japan and Canada. Their reports had been circulated in document IP/C/W/647 and addenda. Shortly before the meeting, the Council had also received the reports from New Zealand, as well as from the European Union and some of its member States, namely Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. Advance copies of both reports had been made available as room documents on documents online and would also be circulated as addenda to document IP/C/W/647.
46.   The following intergovernmental organizations had also submitted updated information: the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), World Health Organization (WHO), World Customs Organization (WCO), African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Their reports had been circulated in document IP/C/W/644/Rev.1 and addenda. Since the circulation of the revised draft agenda, information had also been received from UPOV, which would be made available shortly.
47.   Updated information on the Secretariat's own technical cooperation activities in the TRIPS area could be found in document IP/C/W/645.
48.   The representatives from Canada, Australia, Japan, the United States of America, Norway, the European Union, the Secretariat, the WHO, the GCC, UNCTAD, WIPO and ARIPO took the floor.
49.   The Council took note of the statements made and agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting.

9. Document symbol and date of distribution

IP/C/M/90, IP/C/M/90/Add.1
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