TRIPS for Development: Post Mc13 work on TRIPS-RELATED issues

Communication from Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt and India

The following communication^*, dated 8 March 2024, is being circulated at the request of the delegations of Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt and India.

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1._    We, keeping in mind the upcoming 30^th anniversary of the TRIPS Agreement, call upon the Council for TRIPS to undertake and finalize its first review under Article 71 on the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement.

2._    Pursuant to paragraph 19 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, we request the Council for TRIPS to expedite ongoing work to examine the relationship between the TRIPS Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the protection of traditional knowledge and folklore.

3._    We also call upon the TRIPS Council to examine how the TRIPS Agreement could facilitate transfer and dissemination of technologies to developing countries including LDCs.

4._    We further call upon the Council to examine the TRIPS Agreement, the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health of 2001 and the Ministerial Decision on the TRIPS Agreement of 2022, to review and build on the lessons learned during COVID-19, with the aim to address the concerns of developing countries including LDCs in the context of health emergencies including pandemic.

5._    In undertaking this work, the TRIPS Council shall be guided by the objectives and principles set out in Articles 7 and 8 of the TRIPS Agreement and shall take fully into account the development dimension and shall provide a report on the progress made, including any recommendations, to the Ministers at the 14^th Ministerial Conference.

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