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

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1. Meeting date

2. Chairperson

H.E. Ambassador Dagfinn Sørli (Norway)

3. Intervention by

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

4. Agenda item

12 TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING

5. Statement/summary of statement

222.   I refer to the document IP/C/R/TC/WIPO/2, which provides information on the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) technical cooperation and capacity-building activities in the period from September 2020 to August 2021. It may be seen from the document that, despite the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, WIPO has been deeply engaged in responding to Member states' requirements for technical cooperation. WIPO's activities centre around three broad areas, that is, policy and legislative advice, IP strategy, and IP Office business solutions. The overall objectives underpinning these activities include the enhancement of the capacity of countries to fulfil their international obligations, and to enable them to effectively use the IP system to achieve their developmental goals. In the past year, there has also been an increasing focus by WIPO on three areas. 223.   Firstly, in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, a comprehensive set of measures has been developed to assist Member states in addressing the pandemic, as well as laying the foundations for post-COVID economic recovery efforts. The pandemic-related technical cooperation activities cover a number of areas including policy and legislative assistance, IP dispute resolution, and innovation support and technology transfer. This has been done of course in addition to the interaction in the framework of the trilateral cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Trade Organization (WTO). 224.   Secondly, more integrated programmes are being developed to enable countries to use IP to strengthen their innovation ecosystems. This includes providing support for researchers, innovators and enterprises, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs). 225.   Thirdly, activities have been initiated to address the persistent gender gap in the use of IP. This involves assisting countries in a number of areas, including gathering of gender-disaggregated data and developing concrete programmes to increase the use of the IP system by women. 226.   Finally, I would like to thank the Members and other sister agencies who have acknowledged the extensive work done by WIPO in the area of technical cooperation. I would like to assure that the World Intellectual Property Organization remains committed to providing technical cooperation and capacity-building programmes which respond to the needs of Member countries as they seek to fulfil their TRIPS obligations.

6. Documents referred to in intervention

7. Conclusion

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

8. Summary of the agenda item (if available)

70. The Chair recalled that in June 2021, the Council had agreed to hold the annual review of technical cooperation at the present meeting.
71. 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 who also made available technical cooperation were encouraged to share information on these activities. The Secretariat had issued an Airgram on 15 June 2021 reminding developed country Members of this request. Intergovernmental organizations observers to the Council and the WTO Secretariat had also been invited to provide information.
72. The Council had received information from the following developed country Members: Switzerland, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and the European Union. Since the circulation of the revised draft agenda Norway has also submitted information in this regard. These reports are being circulated under the new dedicated document series with the symbol – where "R" stands for "Reports" and "TC" stands for "Technical Cooperation".
73. Intergovernmental organizations had also submitted updated information: the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Since the circulation of the revised draft agenda, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) had also submitted information in this regard. Their reports were being circulated in the same document series observer]/.
74. The report of the WTO Secretariat on technical cooperation activities in the TRIPS area was available in document .
75. The representatives of Norway; Canada; Australia; the European Union; Switzerland; Bangladesh, on behalf of the LDC Group; the United Kingdom; the United States; Japan; the WTO Secretariat; the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); and the World Health Organization (WHO) took the floor.
76. The Chair noted that most of the valuable information provided by Members and IGO observers had been received only very recently. He would provide delegations an opportunity at the next regular meeting to make further comments on the information submitted.
77. The Council took note of the statements made and agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting.

9. Document symbol and date of distribution

IP/C/M/103, IP/C/M/103/Add.1, IP/C/M/103/Rev.1
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