206. The United States attributes great importance to this review with respect to the obligations under TRIPS Article 66.2. Our submission in 2021 details programmes aimed to encourage the effective and voluntary transfer of technology to LDCs. The US submission for 2021 highlights programmes in areas ranging from intellectual property and trade capacity-building, training, development assistance, education, finance, entrepreneurship, labour, and the environment, in addition to infrastructure-related health programmes. Similar to previous years' submissions, this report includes comments from host country representatives regarding the value they placed on several of the programmes listed in the report.
207. The United States continues to believe that the effective functioning of Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement requires a robust dialogue between developed countries and LDCs in order to target incentives in a way that is most responsive to the self-identified technology transfer interests and needs of LDCs. At the Workshop on the Implementation of Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement on 2, 3, and 4 March 2022, we were proud to highlight many programmes that are in our report. I would like to share a few with you in this forum as well.
208. For the first theme of the Workshop focused on facilitating agriculture technology transfer. Our report details numerous programmes in countries such as Haiti, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Tanzania to name a few. Our report also features several in-country Feed the Future (FTF) programmes and other US government agricultural programmes such as USAID's Resilient Agriculture and Markets Activity (RAMA-BC). This programme's overarching goal is to equitably increase agricultural productivity and climate resilience by increasing adoption of resilient agricultural technologies and practices. The RAMA-BC project has assisted smallholder farmers to apply new and improved technologies to 13,037 hectares of land for 15,684 farmers. This has led to increased sales by smallholder farmer that amount to USD 4.6 million. The project has also managed to establish 1,394 awareness events for several stakeholders, including smallholder farmers, private sector partners, partner government entities, and the local universities and agricultural colleges.
209. For the second theme of the Workshop, environment, the United States has engaged in a wide range of activities with developing countries, with the goal of promoting the development and deployment of climate-friendly technologies and practices, and responsible management of the environment and environmental resources.
210. One particular example I would like to highlight, is led by the U.S. Department of State Climate Fellows (CF) programme. For the past four years, a U.S. Climate Fellow (technical expert) has been embedded within the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ministry of Forest Economy. This American expert provides training and capacity-building to technical staff of the National Centre for the Inventory and Management of Forest and Wildlife Resources (CNIAF) and the Directorate General of Sustainable Development in the Ministry of Tourism and Environment. Specific areas for capacity-building and training include: remote sensing, interpretation of satellite images, forest inventory and management, Geographic Information System (GIS), Green House Gas Accounting and other relevant technical and policy processes/issues related to the sustainable management of forests, avoiding deforestation and forest degradation, and conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (afforestation and reforestation).
211. For the third focus area of the Workshop, health, our report highlights the multitude of technology transfer programmes covering issues ranging from epidemic diseases to maternal health. For example, I would like to discuss briefly our programme known as the "International Centers for Excellence in Research (ICER)" in Uganda. The National Institute of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Division of Intramural Research lead the ICER site in Uganda. It includes a state-of-the-art field laboratory in the Rakai District and facilities at Makerere University in Kampala and the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe. Basic and clinical research on HIV and sexually transmitted infections, including studies on viral pathogenesis, transmission kinetics, treatment and prevention, is conducted. A major focus is the impact of antiretroviral drugs on community-level incidence in the Rakai community cohort, which consists of over 17,000 individuals. This programme is ongoing.
212. We look forward to further discussing our technology transfer programming with the LDCs throughout the year.