H.E. Ambassador Dr. Walter Werner

Bangladesh

9   FOLLOW-UP TO THE SIXTEENTH ANNUAL REVIEW UNDER PARAGRAPH 2 OF THE DECISION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTICLE 66.2 OF THE TRIPS AGREEMENT

136.   The delegation of Bangladesh sincerely thanks the Secretariat for organizing the Workshop on Implementation of TRIPS Article 66.2. It was a great opportunity to hear both the development partners and the targeted LDCs, particularly from their capital-based delegates. However, we should be honest to admit that not all assistance programmes are technology transfer as stated in TRIPS Article 66.2 that aims to ensure sound and viable technological base in the LDCs. But we must acknowledge that many technical assistance programmes, a large portion of which falls under TRIPS Article 67, by the development partners are helping the LDCs in capacity enhancement in different areas. Many projects and programmes cited in the workshop by the LDC delegates are virtually the examples of technical assistance programmes. 137.   The delegation of Bangladesh supports the proposals by the delegation of Chad and Central African Republic that we need regular dialogues on the TRIPS Article 66.2 implementation. We encourage the Secretariat to arrange such workshops on regular intervals involving more LDC Members. We also welcome the proposal of appointing a focal point on the implementation status of TRIPS Article 66.2.

28.   The Chair recalled that, at the previous meeting in November 2018, the Council had on its agenda the Sixteenth Annual Review under Paragraph 2 of the Decision on the Implementation of Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement. At that meeting, delegations had briefly presented the reports submitted by developed country Members under Article 66.2(IP/C/W/646 and Addenda) as well as a proposal by the LDC Group entitled "Proposal on the Implementation of Article 66 of the TRIPS Agreement" (IP/C/W/640 and IP/RD/24). The Council had agreed that it would revert to the item at its next meeting to permit continued consideration of the submitted material.
29.   In order to give LDCs more time to absorb the information provided by developed countries in their reports, and also to ensure that those reports were available in the official languages of the WTO, the Article 66.2 Workshop, which would have usually been held in November 2018, had been postponed. The Workshop had taken place in the two days preceding the meeting of the Council. Some of the capital-based delegates, who had participated in that Workshop would participate in the discussions under this agenda item. He invited delegations to comment on the materials that had been submitted for the meeting that had taken place in November 2018 and to share their experiences from the Article 66.2 Workshop.
30.   The representatives of Chad, on behalf of the LDC Group, the Central African Republic, Senegal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vanuatu, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, the United States of America, Norway, New Zealand, the European Union, Canada and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) took the floor.

IP/C/M/91, IP/C/M/91/Add.1, IP/C/M/91/Corr.1