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

Switzerland

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

181.   Switzerland was pleased to participate in the 2021 Workshop on Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement in virtual format. As requested, our delegation focused its presentation at the workshop on a specific topic. Our choice was environmentally sound technologies (ESTs) as we consider these technologies and green innovations as key elements to address today's major global challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and food security. 182.   The new workshop format was a good opportunity to present a brief update of Switzerland's 2020 report under Article 66.2 and our activities undertaken in the field of ESTs at the multilateral as well as bilateral level. During the Workshop, Switzerland presented two specific ESTs initiatives (Swiss Bluetech Bridge and the REPIC) offered to LDCs. 183.   It was useful to learn at the Workshop about concrete examples of technology transfer that have worked well in practice. This helps developed country Members to develop incentive measures and planning tailor made projects together with LDC partners. 184.   We would like to thank the Secretariat for organizing the Workshop also in the virtual format in an efficient and thorough manner. In particular, we thank the Secretariat for its great work put into excellent summaries and statistics provided on the initiatives of the reporting countries in the selected thematic fields. These summaries were very helpful to keep the overview of the different donors, beneficiaries, and fields of collaboration. 185.   We should like to ask the Secretariat whether it intends, also in future years, to use this new workshop format, focusing more on the different thematic fields of technology transfer rather than only on presentation of the country reports. 186.   Switzerland remains committed to engage in the TRIPS Council's discussion on the implementation of Article 66.2 and to promoting and encouraging technology transfer to LDCs.

The Council took note of the statements made.

42. The Chair recalled that, at the Council's meeting in October 2000, the Eighteenth Annual Review under Paragraph 2 of the Decision on the Implementation of Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement had been on the agenda. At that meeting, delegations had briefly presented the updated reports submitted by developed country Members under Article 66.2. Since that meeting, the Council had received a further submission of an updated report from the delegation of New Zealand. At that meeting, the Council agreed that it would revert to the item at this meeting to permit continued consideration of the submitted material.
43. In July 2020, the LDC Group had circulated a submission entitled "Proposed New Template for Annual Reporting under Article 66.2 of the Agreement on Trade-related Intellectual Property Rights".
44. In order to give LDCs more time to absorb the information provided by developed countries in their reports, and to ensure that these reports were available in the official languages of the WTO, the Secretariat had organized a Workshop on the Implementation of the Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement. Due to the sanitary situation, the Workshop had been held in virtual format on 2, 4 and 5 March 2021. Some of the capital-based delegates who participated in the Workshop would take part in the discussions under this agenda item. She invited the Secretariat to report on the Workshop.
45. A representative of the Secretariat took the floor.
46. The representatives of the United States of America; Australia, the United Kingdom; Switzerland; Canada; Japan; the European Union; Norway; China; Bangladesh, on behalf of the LDC Group; and Mozambique took the floor.
47. The Council took note of the statements made.

IP/C/M/98, IP/C/M/98/Add.1