IP/C/99  
13 February  2024 
(24-1301) Page: 1/1 
Council for Trade -Related Aspects of  
Intellectual Property Rights   
 
  
PARAGRAPHS  23-24 OF THE MINISTERIAL DECLARATION ON THE WTO RESPONSE TO 
THE COVID -19 PANDEMIC AND PREPAREDNESS FOR FUTURE PANDEMICS  
REPORT TO THE GENERAL COUNCIL  
1.  Paragraph 24 of the Ministerial Declaration on the WTO Response to the COVID -19 Pandemic and 
Preparedness for Future Pandemics  (document WT/L/1142 ) (the "Declaration") provides that 
"[r]elevant WTO bodies will, within their field of competence, and on the basis of proposals by 
Members, continue or initiate work as soon as possibl e, to analyze lessons that have been learned 
and challenges experienced during the COVID -19 pandemic."  
2.  Since the adoption of the Declaration at the 12 th Ministerial Conference, Members have 
undertaken the following activities in the Council for TRIPS.  
Information sharing on IP -related measures taken in the context of COVID -19 
3.  Under the agenda item "IP and COVID -19", Members have continued their practice of sharing 
information and experiences on domestic COVID -19 related IP measures they have taken during the 
pandemic , including on the basis of the compilation " COVID -19: Measures Regarding Trade -Related 
Intellectual Property Rights " available on the WTO website . This contains a non -exhaustive list of 
IP-related measures taken in the context of COVID -19, compiled by the Secretariat from official 
sources and verified by the Members concerned . The Secretariat maintains and updat es this 
document with information received from Members . Members are regularly encouraged to inform 
the Secretariat of measures that should be included on this list, as well as any update or information 
on the expiry – or end of application – of such measu res. 
Submissions by Members  
4.  Also under this item, at its meeting on 30 -31 October  2023, the Council began discussing a 
submission by the United Kingdom on "Intellectual Property, Voluntary Licensing and Technology 
Transfer" ( document IP/C/W/704/Rev.1 ).1 This communication invites Members to "look 
systematically at collective experience to inform our future approach" and refers to paragraphs 
23 and 24 of the Declaration . It proposes to examine the factors that influenced and und erpinned 
the formation of licensing and technology transfer partnerships that were formed during the 
pandemic – and for Members to share experiences on how more such partnerships may be formed 
as a further step to achieving equitable access to health produ cts and technologies . In this regard, 
many M embers expressed interest in deepening the discussion on this matter , including on voluntary 
licensing , technology transfer, the operation of the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), geographical 
limitations  of voluntary  licences, and the operation of Article 31(f) of the TRIPS Agreement.  
5.  The Council for TRIPS will continue its work as directed by the Declaration , to review and build 
on all the lessons learned and the challenges experienced during the COVID -19 pandemic , to build 
effective solutions in case of future pandemics , in an expeditious manner.  
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1 See also submission IP/C/W/701 .