WT/WGTTT/ 21 
 
5 December  2019 
(19-8386) Page: 1/2 
  
 
REPORT (2019) OF THE  WORKING GROUP ON TR ADE AND TRANSFER  
OF TECHNOLOGY TO THE  GENERAL COUNCIL  
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  Ministers agreed, at the Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha in November 2001, to "an 
examination, in a Working Group under the auspices of the General Council, of the relationship 
between trade and transfer of technology, and of any possible recommendations on steps that might 
be taken within the mandate of the WTO to increase flows of technology to developing countries".1 
The Working Group has reported on its work at each WTO Ministerial Meeting , at which  the Ministers 
had reaffirmed their commitment to advance the work of the Working Group on Trade and Transfer 
of Technology and instructed the General Council to further report to the Minist erial Sessions.  
 
1.2.  The Working Group held three sessions during 2019. The reports of the meetings are contained 
in documents WT/WGTTT/M/60, WT/WGTTT/M/61 /Rev.1  and WT/WGTTT/M/62.2 At these meetings, 
Members continued the analysis of the relationship between trade and transfer of technology, as 
well as considered any possible recommendations on steps that might be taken within the mandate 
of the WTO to increase flows of technology to developing countries.  
2  RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN  TRADE AND TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY  
2.1.  During the year 2019 , work continued  the analysis of the relationship between trade and 
transfer of technology .  At the June 2019 meeting, Panama shared with the Working Group initiatives 
and programs it undertook to promote the generation, management and t ransfer of technology.  
The project  presented  was entitled  "Design of a remote monitoring system for agroclimatic variables 
in greenhouses using Arduino "; and  consisted in the use of Information and Communications 
Technology ( ICT) to provide an effective t ool for agricultural  producer s to monitor agroclimatic 
variables in greenhouses, in order to improve production, development and crop quality . This project 
originated in the Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer  of the Techn ological University of 
Panama (UTP) . The latter concluded in 2015 an agreement with the Latin American Development 
Bank (CAF) whose objective was to  apply the CAF Accelerated Patent Development Method  and to 
transfor m the UTP into the first Latin American universit y to generate and manage international 
technological patents . 
2.2.  At the November 2019 meeting, the Delegation of Chad , on behalf of the least developed 
countries ( LDC) Group, underscored  the critical role technology played in increasing productivity and 
outpu t, and to diversify economies to better integrate into the regional and global value chains. LDCs 
called on Members to continue the work within the Working Group's mandate and requested that an 
evaluation be undertaken to determine what had been accomplish ed by the Working Group since its 
establishment  as well as what remained to be done . 
3  ANY POSSIBLE RECOMME NDATIONS ON THE STEP S THAT MIGHT BE TAKE N WITHIN 
THE MANDATE OF THE W TO TO INCREASE FLOWS  OF TECHNOLOGY TO DE VELOPING 
COUNTRIES  
3.1.  During the year 2019, work on possible recommendations that the Working Group could make 
in the future  proceeded on the basis of a presentation made by the  United Nations  Technology Bank 
for Least Developed Countries  (hereafter, the Bank). The Bank, which was granted ad hoc observer 
status at the first meeting of the Working Group in 2019, highlighted in its presentation its mandate, 
 
1 Paragraph 37 of document WT/MIN(01)/DEC/1 .  
2 WT/WGTTT/M/61/ Rev.1 and WT/WGTTT/M/62 to be issued.  
 WT/WGTTT/2 1 
 
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  terms of reference and activities. The presentation underscored  that the mandate of the Bank was 
to work towards achieving the 2030 Agenda in  the 47 LDCs, through building capacities in science, 
technology and innovation (STI) and assessing their appropriate technology needs. The focus of the 
Bank's work was on: (a) strengthening STI capacity of LDCs; (b) promoting the development and 
implement ation of national and regional STI strategies; (c) reinforcing partnerships in the public and 
private sectors and encouraging cooperation among those involved in STI, including academics; (d) 
supporting the LDCs as they identify, access and use technologie s; and (e) helping the smooth flow 
of transfer of technologies to LDCs.  
3.2.  Members found the presentation by the Bank for LDCs useful and relevant to the work of the 
Working Group. The Group decided to continue , on an ad hoc  basis, providing the Bank with observer 
status in the Working Group.  
3.3.  The Chairperson  reiterated,  at the November 2019 meeting , the importance of a formal 
submission by the proponents of a submission made in 2008 by India, Pakistan and the 
Philippines  - entitled "Facilitating Access to Info rmation on Appropriate Technology Sourcing – A 
Step to Increase Flows of Technology to Developing Countries" . The proponents had informed the 
Chair  that they were still in the process of revising their submission and that they intended to table 
it in the n ear future.   
3.4.  At the November 2019 meeting, the discussion underscored the role that technology can play 
as a driver of trade and economic development. Some Members felt that the path to innovation and 
technology could lead to development and industrialization creating wealth, jobs and improving 
standards of living.  They felt that rapid technological advances and increasingly information -driven 
global economy were impacting on the competitiveness and market opportunities of specific groups 
and regions – a problem which a number of countries were struggling to address. Constructive and 
meaningful work in the Working Group could help address these challenges. For this to happen, the 
Group needed to target discussion on specific and practical ways to address the needs and challenges 
faced by developing countries, in particular the LDCs. In this context, it was very important to share 
experiences and concrete examples on how Members, which had made rapid advances on the 
technology frontier, had overc ome similar difficulties. The crucial role of technology transfer in 
preserving the eco -system was also underlined .  
4  FUTURE WORK  
4.1.  Members have continued their examination of the relationship between trade and transfer of 
technology and possible recommendati ons that might be made within the mandate of the WTO to 
increase flows of technology to developing countries. The ongoing work has covered a number of 
issues and has helped to enhance Members' understanding of the nexus between trade and transfer 
of techno logy. The Working Group will continue to look at  these issues in the coming year .  
 
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