328. The United Kingdom remains committed to implementing Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement to promote and encourage technology transfer to least developed countries. In September, we submitted our Annual Report to the Council, which sets out a number of successful projects undertaken by the UK Government.
329. We will provide an update on a project undertaken by the United Kingdom – the Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme (CME).
330. Launched in 2016, this UK Government programme aims to support the marine economies (also referred to as blue economies) of 17 Commonwealth Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
331. In partnership, the programme develops and implements national Maritime Economy Plans to ensure the programme leaves a lasting legacy.
332. The CME Programme is an integral part of the UK's effort to protect the health of the world's oceans and promote the growth of blue economies.
333. The programme builds the capacity of the islands to manage their marine resources and develop their national maritime economies.
334. Capacity and knowledge (through Partnerships, support and training, and technical assistance) has been built in areas such as Seabed Mapping, marine data collection, deep-sea environmental assessment, mapping of water quality and human health issues.
335. Marine economies face common threats and challenges due to their small size and populations, remoteness, narrow economic bases, and high degree of vulnerability to external economic and environmental shocks. And while accounting for a tiny fraction of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, are likely to be among the first to suffer the consequences of global warming.
336. Work delivered in support of marine economies since launch includes supporting priority cleanup activities and coastal planning in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, by helping to identify marine litter and pollution hotspots, and working with the Government of Vanuatu to enhance hydrographic governance, improving compliance with International Conventions
337. This programme has helped identify the potential of, and develop, marine economies in a sustainable, resilient, and integrated way - promoting growth, innovation, jobs and investment, whilst safeguarding healthy seas and ecosystems.
338. The United Kingdom looks forward to providing further examples at the workshop on technology transfer, which is scheduled to be held in early 2021.