TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES: INFORMATION FROM
OTHER INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

World Health Organization (WHO)

At its meeting of 30 July 2020, the Council for TRIPS agreed to invite intergovernmental organization observers to the Council to update the information on their technical and financial cooperation programmes relating to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement.

The present document reproduces the information which has been received from the World Health Organization (WHO) by means of a communication dated 8 October 2020.

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1  Introduction

1.   This communication summarizes the technical cooperation activities of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the area of public health, innovation and intellectual property that have taken place since the last report in October 2019 (document IP/C/W/654/Add.1). The overall objective of WHO's technical cooperation is to strengthen the capacity of developing countries in the areas of health innovation, access to medicines and management of intellectual property.

2.  WHO's technical cooperation is based on its mandate derived from the Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (GSPoA) as well as other relevant resolutions of the World Health Assembly, including WHA72.8 on "Improving the transparency of markets for medicines, vaccines, and other health products"^[1] and WHA73.1 on the "COVID-19 response."^[2] In resolution WHA73.1, the Seventy-third World Health Assembly, inter alia, called on international organizations and other stakeholders to work collaboratively at all levels to develop, test, and scale-up production of safe, effective, quality, affordable diagnostics, therapeutics, medicines and vaccines for the COVID-19 response, including, existing mechanisms for voluntary pooling and licensing of patents in order to facilitate timely, equitable and affordable access to them, consistent with the provisions of relevant international treaties, including the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement and the flexibilities within the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health. 

3.  WHO, through its Headquarters, Regional and Country Offices collaborates closely with relevant international organizations on topics related to the interface between public health, innovation, intellectual property and trade. WHO has requested full support and collaboration from WIPO, WTO and other international organizations to ensure efficient and effective implementation of certain prioritized actions of the GSPoA overall programme review panel. Activities focus on technical guidance, transfer of technology, local manufacturing, capacity building and training, and direct technical assistance to countries.