IP/C/W/654/Add.3  
 
27 September 2019  
(19-6225)  Page: 1/14 
Council for Trade -Related Aspects  of 
Intellectual Property Rights  Original: English  
 
TECHNICAL COOPERATIO N ACTIVITIES: INFORM ATION FROM  
OTHER INTERGOVERNMEN TAL ORGANIZATIONS  
UNITED NATIONS CONFE RENCE ON  TRADE AND DEVELOPME NT (UNCTAD)  
Addendum  
At its meeting of 6 June 201 9, 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  United  Nations 
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) by means of a  communication dated 
23 September 2019 . 
 
_______________  
 
INTRODUCTION  
1  UNCTAD 'S WORK IN THE AREA OF  INTELLECTUAL PROPER TY RIGHTS AND 
DEVELOPMENT  
1.  The UNCTAD Secretariat, through its Intellectual Property (IP) Unit, located within the Division 
on Investment and Enterprise, implements a work programme on the development dimensions of 
IP rights. The work programme is designed to respond to the mandate received from Member States 
at the Ministerial Conference in Nairobi (July 2016), as well as to intergovernmental requests under 
the WIPO Development Agenda and the World Health Assembly 's Resolution 61.21 on a Global 
Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property. It is partially 
funded by donor governments and institutions. Currently, the work programme targets:  
• IP rights, policy coherence and local pharm aceutical production and supply.  
UNCTAD was requested by its Commission on Investment, Technology and Related Financial 
Issues (2005) to assess ways in which developing countries can develop their domestic 
productive capability in the supply of essential d rugs in cooperation with pharmaceutical 
companies.1 In the pursuit of this mandate, UNCTAD implements a work programme on local 
pharmaceutical production, with a view to assisting developing countries and least  developed 
countries (LDCs) in particular, to utilise IP rights as tools that facilitate increased access to 
affordable medicines, and, where feasible, to promote domestic and foreign investment to 
create local or regional pharmaceutical production and supply capacities. Currently, the work 
programme focuses on the role of local production and supply management to address 
vaccines and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) ; 
• IP rights, technology partnerships and regional economic integration. UNCTAD 
implements a programme on IP and technology partnerships, wit h the financial support from 
the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The 
programme focuses on IP rights and regional economic integration. It also includes capacity 
building on technology transactions including voluntary  IP licensing and research and 
development (R&D) cooperation for industrial development;  and 
                                                
1 See at http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/c2l22_en.pdf  (paragraph 9 (c) of the Agreed  Recommendations).  IP/C/W/654/Add.3  
 
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  • IP rights for participation in the digital economy and e -commerce. In the context of 
a broader work programme on e -commerce, UNCTAD addresses the interface between IP 
rights and digital economy.  
2.  In implementing its work programme, the IP Unit conducts research and policy analysis, 
facilitates consensus -building and respo nds to requests for technical assistance for successfully 
integrating developing countries into the world economy. This document provides an overview of 
UNCTAD 's IP and development -related activities from 1 November 2018 to 20  September  2019.  For 
more info rmation on UNCTAD 's activities related to IP, please visit:  
https://unctad.org/en/Pages/DIAE/Intellectual -Property.aspx .  
2  RESEARCH AND POLICY ANALYSIS  
3.  UNCTAD undertakes research and analysis and provides advisory services for developing 
countries on trade and development aspects of IP rights. During the reporting period, UNCTAD :  
• Worked together with United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and African 
Union Commission (AUC) for the preparation of the report on "Assessing Regional Integration 
in Africa (ARIA IX): Next Steps for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) ". The 
report addresses investment, intellectual property, competition and e -commerce issues, 
among others. The report underscores the opportunity presented by the AfCFTA to a 
balanced IP rights  system that responds to the aspirations contained in the continental 
programmes, including Agenda 2063 of the African Union. It recommends  a step by step 
approach on cooperation in the field of IP rights, beginning with the issues critical for regional 
trade and value chain integration; and 
• Published an analysis of intellectual property rights policies in the digital economy, as part 
of UNCT AD's Digital Economy report, 2019.  
3  CONSENSUS -BUILDING  
4.  Consensus -building among stakeholders on IP, trade and development is an important element 
of the programme 's work. UNCTAD 's substantive contributions on the analysis of issues related to 
development and IP have enabled it to become an important forum, through its intergovernmental 
machinery, where governments, academia, civil society and the private sector can meet to exchange 
ideas. During the 2019 World Health Assembly,  UNCTAD signed an "Interagenc y Statement on 
Promoting Local Production of Medicines and Other Health Technologies " together with the  World 
Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization  (UNIDO), the 
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) , the United Nations Children 's Fund 
(UNICEF),  and the Global Fund  to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) . 
4  TECHNICAL COOPERATIO N 
5.  On a request basis, UNCTAD conducts technical cooperation activities with developing countries 
in the integrated areas of investment, trade and IP rights. UNCTAD delivers its technical cooperation 
through:  
• Capacity building programmes for beneficiary countries and regions under donor funded 
projects on IP rights and policy coherence for local pharmaceutica l production and access to 
medicines, technology partnerships and regional economic integration, as well as IP rights 
for participation in the digital economy and e -commerce ; 
• Advisory reports on the development dimensions of intellectual property (DDIP). T he 
objective of a published DDIP report is to provide advice on developing countries ' and LDCs ' 
policy, legal and institutional framework for IP rights, particularly as it relates to important 
development objectives such as innovation, technology, investme nt, competition, education 
and health. Developing countries specify the key development objectives they wish to 
examine. A DDIP report will take into consideration the socio -economic situation of the 
requesting country, the bilateral, regional and internat ional commitments the target 
countries have entered into and the flexibilities available to them. Based on this analysis, 
the reports incorporate medium to long -term recommendations on how governments and 
other stakeholders could make these frameworks more  coherent and transparent, with a IP/C/W/654/Add.3  
 
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  view to making IP rights contribute to a country 's sustainable economic and human 
development goals and respond to emerging global opportunities;  and 
• Ad hoc studies on IP and development issues as requested by developing c ountry 
governments.  
4.1  Cooperation with other providers of IP -related technical assistance  
6.  UNCTAD partners with major technical assistance providers on IP rights and 
development.   During the reporting period, UNCTAD inter alia  partnered with the United Nation s 
Development Programme (UNDP), WHO, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and 
the World Trade Organization (WTO). Staff of UNCTAD 's IP Unit frequently participate in 
capacity -building workshops on IP and development issues organized by othe r providers of 
IP-related technical assistance. For instance, UNCTAD was invited by WIPO and WTO to contribute 
to the 2019 WIPO -WTO Advanced Course on IP for Government Officials in March 2019.  
 
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  IP/C/W/654/Add.3  
 
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Name of programme or project  Realizing African Industrial Development and Regional Value Chains under 
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); An AU -UNCTAD Side Event 
during TICAD VII, Yokohama, Japan  
Date and end date  29 August 2019 - 29 August 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  The side event was organized to facilitate discussion on the technical assistance 
needs of AfCFTA. UNECA presented its report on regional integration in Africa and 
outlined the technical assistance cooperation  necessary for the completion of 
ongoing negot iations and implementation of agreements. Representatives of the 
donor and technical assistance community, including  from European Union, 
Germany, Japan, UNCTAD, UNECA and World Bank, outlined their efforts in providing 
support to AfCFTA and its instituti ons. 
Beneficiary institution or audience  The event was well attended (64 participants from Africa, Europe and Japan), with 
representatives of governments, private sector, civil society, academia and the 
press, that were participating during the 7th Tokyo International Conference on 
African Development (TICAD, Yokohama, Japan 28 -30 August 2019).  
Technical cooperation provider(s)  UNCTAD and UNECA.  
Outputs or impact  Participants exchanged views on key technical assistance requirements for the 
realization of  the benefits of AfCFTA for industrial development and regional value 
chain creation, as well as information on their current activities.   
Website for further information  https://unctad.org/en/Pages/DIAE/Intellectual -Property.aspx.  
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
 
                                                
1 In English only.   
  IP/C/W/654/Add.3  
 
- 5 - Name of programme or project  Intellectual Property and Development in the Digital Economy, Geneva  
Date and end date  4 April 2019 - 4 April 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  In the context of the e -commerce week, UNCTAD organized a panel discussion to 
facilitate the exchange of views among international experts and countries on how 
to enhance the development contribution of intellectual property rights in the conte xt 
of digital economy.  
Beneficiary institution or audience  Developing country representatives, private sector and organizations that were 
participating in UNCTAD's E -Commerce Week 2019, held from 1 -5 April 2019.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)  UNCTAD  
Outputs or impact  UNCTAD presented an analysis of intellectual property rights in the digital context 
and chaired the related panel discussion.  
Website for further information  https://unctad.org/en/Pages/DIAE/Intellectual -Property.aspx.  
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
  
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- 6 - Name of programme or project  Interagency Statement on Promoting Local Production of Medicines and 
Other Health Technologies, Geneva  
Date and end date  24 May 2019 - 24 May 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  UNCTAD signed an "Interagency Statement on Promoting Local Production of 
Medicines and Other Health Technologies" together with the Global Fund to Fight 
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), Joint United Nations Programme on 
HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations 
Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and World Health Organisation 
(WHO).  
Beneficiary institution or audience  The interagency statement was launched during the World Health Assembly, 2019. 
WHO organized a technical briefing meeting for the launch of the interagency 
statement that was attended by representatives of governments, international  
organizations, civil society and pharmaceutical industry.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)  Global Fund, UNAIDS, UNCTAD, UNICEF, UNIDO and WHO.  
Outputs or impact  In recognition of the important role local production can play in improving access to 
quality-assured medical products and achieving universal health coverage, the 
partner organizations made a commitment to work in a collaborative, strategic and 
holistic manner in partnership with governments and other relevant stakeholders to 
strengthen local production.  
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
  
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- 7 - Name of programme or project  Assessing Regional Integration in Africa (ARIA IX): Next Steps for the 
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), 2019  
Date and end date  18 July 2019 - 18 July 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  The report addresses investment, intellectual property, competition and e -
commerce among others. The report underscored the opportunity presented by the 
AfCFTA to a balanced IP rights system that responds to the aspirations contained in 
the continental pro grammes.  
Beneficiary institution or audience  African countries and development partners.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)  Lead by UNECA, UNCTAD and AUC contributed to the preparation of the report.  
Outputs or impact  The report identifies priority areas for regional cooperation on IP rights, the interface 
between investment and intellectual property and e -commerce  
Website for further information  https://www.uneca.org/publications/assessing -regional -integration -africa -aria-ix  
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
 
Name of programme or project  The First Xiong' An International Health For um, Langfang, PR China   
Date and end date  13 November 2018 - 15 November 2018  
Beneficiary country or countries  China  
Brief description  The Forum's objective was to review global health industry trends and to provide a 
platform for dialogue among experts from the medical sciences, health industries 
and public institutions.  
Beneficiary institution or audience  Shenzhen World Health Foundat ion; public health facilities; AI -focused companies 
and researchers.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)  UNCTAD  
Outputs or impact  UNCTAD chaired a panel discussion on "Big Data and Artificial Intelligence: 
Opportunities and Challenges of AI".  
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
  
  IP/C/W/654/Add.3  
 
- 8 - Name of programme or project  Regional Consultation Workshop on the Post -2020 Global Biodiversity 
Framework for Asia and the Pacific, Nagoya, Japan  
Date and end date  29 January 2019 - 31 January 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries  Bhutan; Cambodia; Lao People's Democratic Republic;  Myanmar; Nepal; Samoa; 
Solomon Islands; Somalia  
Brief description  The regional consultation was the first of five regional consultations planned by the 
CBD Secretariat to inform the first draft of a Post -2020 Framework following the 
Strategic Plan for Bi odiversity 2011 -2020/Aichi Targets.  
Beneficiary institution or audience  Government officials; civil society; private sector; intergovernmental organizations.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)  CBD Secretariat, UNCTAD  
Outputs or impact  UNCTAD participated in sessions that discussed possible elements for a Post -2020 
Framework and 2050 Vision.  
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
 
Name of programme or project  WIPO -WTO Advanced Course on IP for Government Officials, Geneva, 
Switzerland  
Date and end date  12 March 2019 - 12 March 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  UNCTAD regularly contributes its expertise on intellectual property and development 
to this WIPO -WTO course.  
Beneficiary institution or audience  Government officials.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)  UNCTAD, WIPO, WTO.  
Outputs or impact  UNCTAD on 12  March 2019 provided an analysis of technical cooperation activities 
in IP and development, in particular what are the challenges and how to overcome 
them.  
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
  
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- 9 - Name of programme or project  12th Berlin Conference on Life Sciences: "Novel Antimicrobials and AMR 
Diagnostics 2019", Berlin, Germany  
Date and end date  14 March 2019 - 15 March 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  UNCTAD and WHO co -organized a policy session on investment and antimicrobial 
resistance (AMR) at the 12th Berlin Conference on Life Sciences organized by Biocom 
AG, a life science event organizer and publisher.  
Beneficiary institution or  audience  Small and medium -sized biotechnology firms; policy makers; civil society.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)  WHO, UNCTAD.  
Outputs or impact  UNCTAD moderated a panel discussion on: "How to leverage public and private 
support to efficiently finan ce AMR innovation" and contributed to a workshop on 
"How to set up a new global AMR innovation fund".  
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
  
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- 10 - Name of programme or project  Sub-Regional Capacity -Building Workshop on Improving Access to 
Universal Health Coverage: The Role of Foreign Investment and Technology 
Transfer in the Pharmaceutical Sector, Bangkok, Thailand  
Date and end date  31 March 2019 - 4 April 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries  Bangladesh; Indonesia; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Myanmar; Philippines; 
Sri Lanka; Thailand; Viet Nam  
Brief description  The purpose of this workshop was to equip government decision makers from 
beneficiary countries  with an understanding of coherent policies that underpin 
investment and technology transfer to upgrade domestic pharmaceutical 
manufacturers in the sub -regions, in line with national, regional and global public 
health priorities, including universal healt h coverage and SDG 3.  
Beneficiary institution or audience  Government officials; civil society; private sector; intergovernmental organizations.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)  UNCTAD, Asian Development Bank Institute, Thai Ministry of Health (Interna tional 
Health Policy Program).  
Outputs or impact  UNCTAD emphasized the important linkages between local producers, developing 
country governments and foreign investors, and the need for coherence in domestic 
policies related to IP, drug regulation, procu rement and investment.  
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
  
  IP/C/W/654/Add.3  
 
- 11 - Name of programme or project  2nd meeting of the 2019 G20 Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG) 
of the G20, Mito, Japan  
Date and end date  9 April 2019 - 11 April 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  The TIWG consisted of the G20 member countries, invited countries and invited 
international organizations. It was responsible for preparing the G20 Ministerial 
Meeting on Trade and the Digital Economy in June 2019.  
Beneficiary institution or audience  G20 member countries and invited countries.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact  UNCTAD presented its research and views on investment and the digital economy, 
including the World Investment Report 2017 ("Investment and the Digital 
Economy" ).  
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
 
Name of programme or project  G20 Ministerial Meeting on Trade and Digital Economy, Tsukuba, Japan  
Date and end date  7 June 2019 - 9 June 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  UNCTAD is one of the international organizations that is invited to regularly 
contribute to discussions at G20 meetings of trade ministers and their working 
groups, particularly concerning investment -related issues.  
Beneficiary institution or audience  G20 member countries and developing countries.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact  UNCTAD highlighted that with declining foreign direct investment and a shift by 
multinational enterprises to intangibles, G20 countries need to help developing 
countries re -calibrate with more open productive -capacity cooperation.  
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
  
  IP/C/W/654/Add.3  
 
- 12 - Name of programme or project  National Consultations on Patent Linkage, Bangkok, Thailand  
Date and end date  18 June 2019 - 22 June 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries  Thailand  
Brief description  Thailand's Ministry of Health (International Health Policy Program, IHPP) organized 
a dialogue on the public health implications of linking the patent status of a 
pharmaceutical product to the marketing approval of generic copies ("patent 
linkage").  
Bene ficiary institution or audience  Thai government officials, civil society.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)  UNCTAD, IHPP, UNDP, Third World Network (TWN).  
Outputs or impact  UNCTAD provided technical inputs to the discussion on patent linkage.  
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
 
Name of programme or project  The G20 Health and Development Partnership – Health 20 Summit, Tokyo, 
Japan  
Date and end date  24 June 2019 - 24 June 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  In recognition of its work on investment in the manufacture of antibiotics and anti -
microbial resistance (AMR), UNCTAD was i nvited to participate in the Health 20 
Summit. This was organized by the G20 Health and Development Partnership as a 
side event to the G20 joint meeting of Finance and Health Ministers.  
Beneficiary institution or audience  Civil society, government repres entatives, private sector, public health -related 
foundations.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact  In the session dedicated to AMR, UNCTAD stressed not only the need to scale up 
investments into new antibiotics, but also to take into account realities in developing 
countries where many essential antibiotics are  unavailable, while only those 
antibiotics  they could afford were oversupplied, often contributing to AMR. The 
outcome of the H20 Summit was a Call to Action and Recommendations that was 
presented to the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, to be followed up by the G20 Health 
Ministers' meeting in Okayama in October 2019.  
Website for further information  https://www.ssdhub.org/g20 -health -development -partnership/  
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org   
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Name of programme or project  National Capacity Building Workshop on Technology Partnerships  and R&D 
Collaboration, Cairo, Egypt  
Date and end date  17 July 2019 - 18 July 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries  Egypt  
Brief description  In the context of its work on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), 
UNCTAD provides capacity building courses on the use of intellectual property rights 
in research and development agreements, IP licensing agreements and other 
voluntary technol ogy partnerships between universities and the private sector.   
Beneficiary institution or audience  Government representatives, universities and research institutions, private sector, 
civil society.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)  UNCTAD, Egyptian Pat ent Office, Egyptian Academy for Scientific Research and 
Technology.  
Outputs or impact  UNCTAD and the Egyptian Patent Office are engaged in follow -up consultations.  
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
 
Name of programme or project  Third World Network Regional Workshop on TRIPS Flexibilities for Public 
Health, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  
Date and end date  20 August 2019 - 22 August 2019  
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  In the context of a grant it received from Unitaid on public health and TRIPS 
flexibilities, TWN invited UNCTAD, WHO and UNDP to contribute to its regional 
workshop.  
Beneficiary institution or audience  Government representatives and civ il society.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)  TWN, WHO, UNDP, UNCTAD.  
Outputs or impact  UNCTAD provided its expertise on policy coherence for local pharmaceutical 
production and access to medicines.  
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information  Christoph.Spennemann@un.org  
  
  IP/C/W/654/Add.3  
 
- 14 - Name of programme or project  14th Annual WTO Workshop on Trade and Public Health  
Date and end date  8 October 2018 - 12 October 2018  
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  UNCTAD regularly contributes to this workshop, especially its expertise in intellectual 
property and local pharmaceutical production.  
Beneficiary institution or audience  Government officials of WTO Members.  
Technical cooperation provider(s)  WTO, UNCTAD , etc.  
Outputs or impact  UNCTAD discussed a case study on local pharmaceutical production policies, 
including technical issues related to intellectual property and innovation, tariff 
protection and domestic drug regulatory measures. The objective was to 
demonstrate the extent to which the promotion of pharmaceutical production cuts 
across various policy areas and requires policy coherence. The case study was based 
on UNCTAD 's "Tool Box for Policy Coherence in Access to Medicines and Local 
Pharmaceutical P roduction ", New York and Geneva, 2018 (available at 
https://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/diaepcb2017d2_en.pdf).  
Website for further information  https://unctad.org/en/Pages/DIAE/Intellectual -Property.aspx  
Contact point for further information  Christoph Spennemann  
 
 
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