35. The representative of the Philippines expressed his Government's appreciation for all of the technical assistance which it had received from many developed countries. In the year 2000, developing country Members were expected to comply with their obligations under the TRIPS Agreement. Part of the exercise in many capitals was explaining to constituents why laws had to be amended and many constituents had been asking whether those Members who were supposed to comply with their obligations under the TRIPS Agreement earlier, i.e. the developed countries, had so complied. This was a political issue in many developing countries and there was a need to be able to say, truthfully, that other Members had likewise complied earlier. He concurred with the statement of the representative of Malaysia, that technical cooperation under Article 67 was not the same as providing incentives to enterprises and institutions under Article 66.2. The submissions under this agenda item should focus on the kinds of incentives provided, not necessarily to ascertain compliance with Article 66.2, but to share information on what developed countries could do by way of granting incentives to business enterprises to transfer technology to least developed countries. It would be useful to have information not only about the nature of the incentives but also the names and number of firms that had thus far availed themselves of those incentives.
