11.1. The Chairman recalled that the Council had agreed, at its meeting in June 2013, to hold its annual review of technical cooperation at today's meeting. He suggested that, in this context, the Council also discuss any other issues relating to this agenda item. In preparation for this annual review, developed country Members had been once more requested to update information on their technical and financial cooperation activities relevant to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement in time for this meeting. Other Members who also made available technical cooperation had been encouraged to share information on these activities if they so wished. The Secretariat had issued on 8 August 2013 an airgram (WTO/AIR/4165) reminding Members of this request. In addition, intergovernmental organizations observers to the Council, as well as the WTO Secretariat, had been invited to provide information.
11.2. The Council had received information from the following developed country Members: Japan; New Zealand; Canada; the European Union and individual member States, namely Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom; as well as Norway; Switzerland; the United States, and Australia (document IP/C/W/593 and addenda). Updated information had been received from the following intergovernmental organizations: the WCO, OECD, WHO, UNCTAD, FAO; and WIPO (document IP/C/W/591 and addenda).
11.3. Updated information on the WTO Secretariat's own technical cooperation activities in the TRIPS area could be found in document IP/C/W/590 in French and Spanish, and in document IP/C/W/590/Rev.1 in English.
11.4. In addition, the Council had received a communication from Togo identifying its priority needs for technical and financial cooperation (document IP/C/W/597). Togo intended to introduce this document at the Council's first meeting in 2014.
11.5. The representatives of Australia, the WTO Secretariat and the WHO Secretariat took the floor under this agenda item. The statements will be reproduced in an addendum to the present record. The Chairman urged those Members that had not yet provided updated information on their technical cooperation activities to do so. He noted that some of the information had been received only very recently, and that most of it was, so far, only available in its original language. He said that it was his intention to provide Members of the Council with an opportunity at the next meeting to make further comments on the information submitted for this meeting that they might not yet have been able to study.
11.6. The Council took note of the statements made and agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting.