WTO Members Swap Views on Proposals Covering Trade and Tech Transfer
World Trade Organization members discussed two proposals on trade and technology transfer during the Oct. 13 meeting of the Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology, the WTO said.
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One proposal, brought by the African Group, which includes all African countries except Eritrea, concerned the role of tech transfer in building resilience. Egypt suggested restructuring the Working Group's agenda to address topics listed in the proposal, including trade facilitation, agricultural resilience, climate change and the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.
The second proposal, brought by the U.K., centered on intellectual property and voluntary licensing. The submission looked to bolster pandemic preparedness and "equitable access to health products by facilitating voluntary licensing and technology transfer partnerships between developed and developing countries."
A report also was submitted by India covering the link between trade and the "transfer of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries to address climate change." This report will be considered at the next working group meeting.