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

H.E. Ambassador Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peter (South Africa)
World Health Organization (WHO)
12 TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND CAPACITY-BUILDING
491.   Thanks to the delegate from Sri Lanka for the question, I am happy to respond to your concern in relation to the ACT Accelerator. 492.   The World Health Organization (WHO) believes that in these difficult times it is very important that all stakeholders are engaged and believe that all stakeholders are relevant to solve the crisis and that means that not only governments, but funders and also industry, pharmaceutical industry, civil society organizations, all those mentioned groups, all are relevant and all need to work in a collaborative manner to really solve the problem for the world. So ACT Accelerator includes industry partners and includes civil society as well. 493.   Of course, the pharmaceutical industry is very relevant for the development of the new drug and the ACT Accelerator is now very focused on trying to find the new medicines, diagnostics, vaccines; we have different pillars in the ACT Accelerator. But at the same time, WHO is also calling through C-TAP to this complementary tool and the solidarity call to action is calling all researchers, pharmaceutical industry; we are working on a strategy for engagement and with civil society, with the private sector in order to facilitate this sharing of knowledge. 494.   Of course, the sharing of knowledge is going to be through C-TAP and the implementing partners like the UN technology, like the Medicine Patent Pool, that are existing tools and we do not want to duplicate the efforts that and we are working together with all of them to facilitate the sharing. There is a big call from governments that have participated in the Solidarity Call to Action to share this knowledge, this is data and facilitate the transfer of technology. So this is the main objective so that there are complementary tools. In parallel the WHO also thinks that all the other mechanisms are important. WHO keeps also providing technical assistance on other areas like the use of TRIPS flexibilities.
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