H.E. Ambassador Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peter (South Africa)

Canada

12 TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND CAPACITY-BUILDING

425.   Canada was pleased to submit its annual report on the implementation of Article 67 of the TRIPS Agreement to the WTO Secretariat in October. The report provides an update on Canada's activities concerning IPrelated technical and financial cooperation for developing and LDC Members. We thank the Secretariat in advance for its efforts in circulating Canada's report following this session. In the meantime, Canada would like to share a few highlights of the 2020 report to the present meeting. 426.   During the reporting period, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) provided patent search and examination reports, upon request from other WIPO Members, and worked on five requests for search and examination reports from Kenya and Trinidad and Tobago. In November 2019, CIPO also participated in the Forty-Third Session of the Administrative Council and Council of Ministers of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) in Monrovia, Liberia, to discuss how the Government of Canada works to advance IP and innovation. During this meeting, CIPO facilitated a workshop on developing an effective national IP Strategy, as well as a workshop for the Council of Ministers. 427.   Also detailed in 2020 report, Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has launched two new projects dealing with IP-related technical cooperation. First, the project entitled "Strengthening cyber policy research centres in the Global South" has been undertaken in partnership with the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law, Strathmore University, Kenya, to strengthen research and policy capacity on critical digital policy issues. The project will help build institutional capacity and sustainability to produce locally-relevant research that convenes different perspectives on critical policy issues, and will strengthen the capacity of research centres to inform and influence policy development. Another recent IDRC project, entitled "Initiative for Digital Rights in Latin America", is a three-year collaborative re-granting/funding arrangement intended to strengthen and support the digital rights ecosystem in Latin American countries, including Panama. The project will support institutional capacity on digital rights issues, including access to knowledge and copyright. 428.   With respect to discussions in TRIPS Council, Canada remains interested in hearing the views of developing country and LDC Member on some of the successes and challenges of technical assistance and cooperation in addressing their priority needs. Canada would also be interested in hearing how have priority needs changed since LDCs' initial work on TRIPS implementation, and where gaps in technical assistance might remain. As well, Canada is interested in Member experiences and best practices on the types of technical assistance that have 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 a view to ensuring that technical assistance continues to meet priority needs and development objectives.

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

64. The Chair recalled that, at its July 2020 meeting, the Council had agreed to hold the annual review of technical cooperation at its next meeting. Thus, 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, which also provided technical cooperation were encouraged to share information on their activities. The Secretariat had issued a reminder. Intergovernmental organizations, observers to the Council and the WTO Secretariat had also been invited to provide information.
65. The Council had received information from: Japan, Switzerland, Australia, United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway. Since the circulation of the revised agenda, the Council had received further information from the European Union. These reports were being circulated under the new dedicated document series with the symbol IP/C/R/TC/[Member]/1 – where "R" stands for "Reports" and "TC" stands for "Technical Cooperation". The following intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) had also submitted updated information: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), World Health Organization (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC). Their reports were being circulated in the same document series IP/C/R/TC/[IGO observer]/1. Information on the WTO Secretariat's own technical cooperation activities in the TRIPS area could be found in document . She invited Members to introduce their reports.
66. The representatives of the United States of America; the United Kingdom; Japan; Australia; Canada; the European Union; Bangladesh; Switzerland; Brazil; Chad, on behalf of the LDC Group; Mali; and South Africa took the floor.
67. The Chair invited the WTO Secretariat to present its report on technical cooperation activities.
68. The representative of the Secretariat took the floor.
69. The Chair invited the representatives of IGO observers to present their reports on technical cooperation activities.
70. The representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); World Health Organization (WHO); and the United National Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) took the floor.
71. The Chair invited Members to comment.
72. The representatives of Sri Lanka; Chad, on behalf of the LDC Group; and India took the floor.
73. The Chair thanked Members and IGO observers for the valuable information. As some information had been recently submitted and was available only in its original language, she would provide Members an opportunity to make further comments, at the next meeting.
74. The Council took note of the statements made and agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting.

IP/C/M/96, IP/C/M/96/Add.1