RESTRICTED  
  
WT/WGTTT/M/69  
 
22 May 2023  
(23-3460) Page: 1/10 
Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology  
Sixty -Ninth Session    
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 4 MAY 2023  
Chairperson: H.E. Luis Chuquihuara Chil (Peru) up to item B; and  
H.E. Sofia Boza Martinez (Chile) for items C, D and E  
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  ................................ ................................ ....................  1 
B. ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON FOR THE WORKING GROUP  ................................  1 
C. EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADE AND TRANSFER OF 
TECHNOLOGY  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  3 
D. POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION ON STEPS THAT MIGHT BE TAKEN WITHIN THE 
MANDATE OF THE WTO TO INCREASE FLOWS OF TECHNOLOGY TO DEVELOPING 
COUNTRIES  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  8 
E. OTHER BUSINESS  ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 10 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1.  The draft agenda  for the 69th Session of the Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology 
(thereafter the Working Group), as contained  in airgram WTO/AIR/WGTTT/22 of 24  Avril 2023, was 
adopted .  
B. ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON FOR THE WORKING GROUP  
2.  The Chairperson  said that, at the General Council meeting of 6 -7 March 2023, the names of the 
WTO Chairpersons for 2023 had been  considered , including Ambassador Sofia Boza Martinez, 
Permanent Representative of Chile to the WTO, as the Chairperson of the Worki ng Group  for 2023. 
The Working Group was invited to formally elect Ambassador Boza as its Chairperson for 2023.  
3.  The Working Group elected  Ambassador Sofia Boza Martinez as the Chairperson of the WGTTT.  
4.  The Chairperson delivered the following statement:  
5.  Before handing over, allow me to say a few words. Ambassador Boza has a rich academic 
background including a PhD in Economics from the Autonomous University of Madrid, a master's in 
Economic Development a nd Public Policies from the same university, a professional title in 
Commercial Engineering from the University of Chile, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the 
University of Seville, Ambassador Boza has pursued a distinguished career.  
6.  Prior to her  appointment as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Chile to the WTO, 
Ambassador Boza has published numerous academic articles, book chapters and reports on 
agricultural policy and governance, rural development, food markets, and international trade . She 
has been a visiting fellow at the World Trade Institute at the University of Bern, as well as an expert 
instructor at the Institute of Food Laws and Regulations at Michigan State University. Her numerous 
research projects and studies have been funded  by institutions including the Chilean National Agency 
for Research and Development, the Chilean Foundation for Agricultural Innovation, the Chilean Office 
of Agricultural Studies and Policies, and the Ministry of Social Development of Chile, the State 
Secretariat of Economy of Switzerland, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil, 
the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Food and Agriculture 
Organization of the United Nations. She has been a member of the boa rd of the Chilean Association WT/WGTTT/M/69  
 
- 2 - 
 
  of Agricultural Economists and of the Ibero -American Network for Development Studies. Within the 
University of Chile, she participated in the creation and coordination of the Studies in Agricultural 
Policy and Development Grou p (NEPAD), the Sustainable Agrifood Systems Laboratory (SASLab), 
and the Chair of Family Farming and Food.  
7.  Prior to this position, Sofia Boza was an associate professor and head of the Department of Rural 
Management and Innovation at the University of Chil e, a professor at the Institute of International 
Studies at the same university, as well as an external evaluator of public policies for the Budget 
Office of the Chilean Ministry of Finance.  
8.  Ambassador Boza brings with her sound background in public servic e. This wealth of experience 
and her valuable skills will definitely come handy in advancing the work in this Group.  
9.  Before I formally hand over the gavel to Ambassador Boza, I wanted to share with you some 
reflexions about the important work of this group . 
10.  When I assumed this presidency, not much time had passed since the pandemic, and among 
the many things that this tragedy revealed, we noted the still unmet need to strengthen technology 
transfer. Each country responded to the challenge with the resources  it had, and the results were 
very different, especially between developed and developing countries. Unfortunately, inequality 
showed its worst face within and between our countries. And I am not defending any position in this 
forum, I am merely describing  the facts. Hence, at the last MC12, Members recognized, through the 
"Ministerial Declaration on COVID -19 and future pandemics", the need to analyse and learn from 
the lessons of the pandemic, including the experiences related to technology transfer; an an alysis 
which, by the way, the same Declaration entrusted to several WTO bodies, including this Working 
Group.  
11.  I bring all this up for the sole purpose of underscoring that the need to seek ways to strengthen 
technology transfer persists. It continues becau se it is necessary to address all the global challenges. 
In this regard, I know that the phenomenon is vast and beyond the scope of our discussion in this 
Working Group. However, I am also aware of the relevance of trade and investment as channels for 
technology transfer, and this is the point at which our discussions must play a role: to examine the 
process, identify its weaknesses and potential, diagnose it in all its terms and, finally, recommend 
courses of action.  
12.  I, therefore, urge you to keep up the e ffort, to maintain the ties that the Working Group has 
generated over the past year and to continue with the exchange of experiences among Members 
and other international organizations, such as the one we held at the 68th Session of the Working 
Group held in November 2022, in which we had the valuable participation of officials from Argentina, 
Senegal, and Peru, as well as from the WTO, UCNTAD, FAO, WIPO, WHO and the World Economic 
Forum (WEF).  
13.  One session that I remember as very useful and which also serve d to deepen the dynamic 
between the WTO and UNCTAD, at the initiative of Ms. Shamika Sirimanne, UNCTAD's Director of 
Technology and Logistics, we extended the dialogue at an event held at UNCTAD in February 2023, 
which many of you attended and where we add ressed the challenges and opportunities for 
developing countries brought about by rapid technological change, as well as measures that can be 
implemented to increase technology flows, including the development of better public policies that 
create appropri ate frameworks for developing absorptive and innovative capacities.  
14.  I am confident that the Working Group will make significant progress with Ambassador Boza, 
responding to the call that we hear with increasing frequency at the meetings of the General Coun cil, 
in which the importance of this Working Group is highlighted. I am at her disposal for all her efforts 
in this work, and I take it that she will have the same from all the Members.  
15.  Finally, let me say a word of gratitude to the WTO Secretariat, person alized here by Mustapha, 
who has been infinitely willing and patient in guiding and assisting me in this work. I am sincerely 
grateful for all this. With these words, I now request Ambassador Boza to come to the podium and 
formally take over as Chairperson  of the Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology.  WT/WGTTT/M/69  
 
- 3 - 
 
  C. EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADE AND TRANSFER OF 
TECHNOLOGY  
16.  Before turning to the agenda item under discussion, the Chairperson  thanked Members for the 
confidence they had placed in he r by electing her Chairperson of the Working Group ; and stated her 
commitment to working closely with Members with the objective of advancing the WGTTT 's work. 
She also thanked her predecessor, Ambassador Luis Chuquihuara Chil of Peru, for his leadership i n 
steering the work of the WGTTT over the previous year , and for sharing his experience and briefings 
on the work of the Working Group.  
17.  The Chairperson said that she believed trade and technology transfer could contribute to the 
development of all Members ; and that it could help to overcome the global challenges, inter alia 
those relating to climate, energy, transportation, agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and waste 
management. She also said that the pursuit of a more sustainable economy required active 
engagement by all, a constructive mindset, openness and willingness to cooperate.  
18.  The Chairperson recalled that, at the 2022 Sessions of the Working Group, discussions had 
underscored the role that technology could play as a driver of trade and economic de velopment; 
and, that the path to innovation and technology could lead to development and industrialization 
creating wealth, jobs and improving standards of living. She also recalled from those discussions 
that the role transfer of technology and know -how h ad played to create capacities to respond to 
COVID -19 was also noted; and, that it was underscored that such capacities could be leveraged to 
tackle other health emergencies, including those that are endemic to developing countries and which 
continued to c onstitute a major cause of loss of productivity and aggravated poverty.  
19.  She further recalled that deliberations had also pointed out that rapid technological advances 
and the increasingly information driven global economy had been impacting competitivenes s and 
market opportunities of specific groups and regions. And, that the Working 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 that context, sh e also recalled that it was felt that sharing of 
national experiences and consideration of concrete examples of how some Members had overcome 
those difficulties in advancing rapidly on the technology frontier had been valuable, and that some 
wished that it  led the Working Group to formulating concrete recommendations.  
20.  The Representative of Chad delivered the following statement:  
21.  It is an excellent opportunity for us to express our most sincere thanks both to the outgoing 
chairperson for all of his efforts a nd indeed, for the important contributions that he has made within 
this Working Group  and thanks to that, to the multilateral trading system throughout his mandate. 
He has shown very wise leadership in the way he has led our work, particularly in what are very 
difficult times. And we heard him recall the pandemic this morning and indeed, what is before us 
today. He made sure and he invested his time to ensure that the work and deliberations in this 
Working Group continued to approach this issue in a compreh ensive way by raising all of the 
questions on the transfer of technology. This is something we see as being very relevant because it 
is the relationship between trade and technology transfer that is  important.  
22.  We think it is indeed vital to focus on devel opment of infrastructure as well as the different 
means to ensure that ecommerce works in a way that is to the benefit of all of our countries. From 
this angle, the technology transfer and the way in which we use technology are critical factors in our 
ability to catch up economically. We need to become integrated into global value chains. We need 
to be able to be in a position to add value to the most profitable products for our economies and this 
is something that will allow technology to show its ability to transform our economies.  
23.  In this view, Madam Chair, we would like to reaffirm our attachment both to the development 
of electronic commerce , and also through that , to the multilateral trading system. And we are of 
course placing all our trust in its ab ility to ensure that we have greater integration into value chains.  
24.  We have had very rich and very constructive discussions in the Working Group on the link 
between trade and the transfer of technology. And these discussions have allowed Members to better  
understand the challenges when it comes to trade capacity, the capacity that we will need to ensure 
we have eve n more participation in global trade. The outgoing chairperson's commitment and the WT/WGTTT/M/69  
 
- 4 - 
 
  interest that he showed , particularly for the concerns of LD Cs, as well as his ability to understand 
the challenges  is something that we would like to highlight.  Madam Chair, we understand that we 
will continue to have that . We count on your support and that you will continue to pay close attention  
to the interest s of LDCs and we therefore wish you the best of luck in this upcoming role.  
25.  Madam Chair, we congratulate you on your appointment to preside over our work in the Working 
Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology. Please , rest assured that you have our full support and 
that we will work with you. Not just my delegation, but all Members of the LDC group will work with 
you to make sure that the work here in th is Working Group moves forward , and that through this 
work, we wil l be able to strengthen the multilateral trading system.  
26.  We would like to make a few suggestions to contribute to the work of the Working Group and  
which,  perhaps , will be of use to you in your new role. As we heard, the outgoing chair did identify 
a seri es of themes which have been brought up in this Working Group , and I think we should continue 
taking those themes , and placing  them at the centr e of our work. I think it is important for us to 
make a link between what  is being done in this group, and the w ork that is  being done in the other 
relevant WT O bodies. What is interesting , for a Member  that is an LDC , is that we see that 
ecommerce, for example, is ever expanding, including here at the WTO. We have now a body in the 
Committee on Trade and the Enviro nment, as well as many other bodies which are also working 
very harmoniously on issues of technology. So we think that this link is a necessary one and that 
we should, through the Secretariat, extend invitations to these other bodies to ensure that there i s 
information sharing o n the different work so we can harmonize and work together in the best possible 
way and to ensure that transfer of technology does indeed allow LDCs to be able to adopt that 
technology themselves.  
27.  The work we are  doing here is to co ntinue to develop and share best practices. And you have 
said yourself, Madam Chair, when you spoke in the Working Group, you have discussed all of the 
experience sharing that is  done in the various regions . And I think we should build on that. It is a 
very interesting approach, taking people who are working on the ground to ensure that they are 
visible and indeed, really to put our feet on the ground, so to speak. I think LDCs are the Members  
which have the most catching up to do. And when it comes to smal l- and medium -sized enterprises 
in LDCs, notably, but in any Member for that matter, need to have a much clear er vision as to what 
the transfer of technology is, and indeed also to understand the link between the transfer of 
technology and trade. So that i s what I wanted to say, Madam Chair, at the outset, as you take up 
your role . Again, we wish you the best of success and rest assured that the delegation of Chad will 
help you in your role. Thank you.  
28.  The Representative of Peru delivered the following stat ement:  
29.  Welcome on behalf of the Peruvian delegation and congratulat ions on your election. We are 
sure that your excellenc ies qualities, both professional and academic, will ensure that we make it to 
where we need to go.  
30.  Coming to our experience, the experience that we have had coordinating this group from the 
missions point of view last year, how satisfying it was, how useful it was , to combine the work of 
different bodies and organizations, the agendas and the ideas . Perhaps , you will  remember last year, 
and we were still in Pandemic mode , the workshop in the meeting that we had, during which we 
continued looking at health  and SPS issues , in addition to the relationship between technology 
transfer and  trade.  
31.  We think that there are ne w spaces that can be explored, for example, trade and technology 
transfer related to agriculture or climate change. These are, of course, extremely interesting areas, 
with a particular interest for you, Chair, with reference to your prior  professional experiences . We 
also think that working with other relevant international organizations could be useful as well. And 
we do already have contacts with them already, so we can continue that cross -cutting work with 
other organizations. And of course, within our c ommon house here at the WTO, there are important 
bodies and meetings which are on-going. And again, we could perhaps work more closely with them 
too. We think about the Committee for Trade and Environment  which is Chaired by  the Ambassador 
from Ecuador, who is with us today as well, and it is a pleasure to have him here. But we also think 
about the Committee for Trade and Development. We would just like to reiterate, Chair, our WT/WGTTT/M/69  
 
- 5 - 
 
  commitment to contributing and continuing to support all of the initiatives that  you drive forward, 
as Chair of this Working Group. Again, congratulations.  
32.  The Representative of Brazil  delivered the following statement:  
33.  Brazil welcomes the work carried out by Peru in the Working Group . With 
Ambassador  Chuquihuara as Chair, we have ma de significant headway in a number of areas. I would 
like to highlight the discussions on technology transfer to push forward innovation within the 
pandemic context.  
34.  Also, allow me to welcome and thank Ambassador Sofia Boza Martinez, for her presiding ove r 
this Working G roup. We wish her all the very best of success in her role, and we are completely and 
fully available to work with her in the endeavour which she undertakes today.  
35.  The Brazilian Government considers that the agenda for trade and technology  transfer is one of 
the most important ones in th is Organization. It was heavily worked upon in the run up to MC12. 
We have the experience from the COVID -19 pandemic. We will continue to work with the Chair to 
explore new suggestions and to propose new top ics, new ways of promoting technology transfer 
within the WTO and working with other organizations, of course, paying special attention to the 
developing world. Thank you.  
36.  The Representative of India delivered the following statement:  
37.  India would like to congratulate you on your appointment, and to welcome you . We would be 
constructively engaging in this tenure and please count on us for all support.  
38.  All of us know that technology transfer is so important in the present age. It is important for 
the econom ic wellbeing , and the current technological context is critical to all the developing 
countries development. It is rapidly transforming all productive systems and facilitating international 
economic integration. Having said that, we know that technology transfer entail s three critical 
aspects. It is not only th e product and the asset, but also the know -how, the engineering, the design 
which are associated, as well as the third element of the expertise, the capacity, the professionals, 
these are of critical importance.  
39.  This committee has done some excellent work, which we saw in the past session  where , not 
only th e relationship between trade and transfer of technology was discussed, but discussed with 
evidence , good evidence , on how they are related. The important thing is that  moving ahead , and 
seeing the importance of this work, what this committee does is that we go into actually the aspect 
of challenges which are there in the technology transfer , which the developing countries are facing. 
Some of the issues were raise d here earlier , and what is happening is that technology transfer is 
now required, and the scope is ever increasing. As our colleague mentioned  earlier,  this is not only 
limited just to trade, but also the environmentally sound technologies, the agricultur e and all. And 
these are actually immediate work need ed to be done so that the developing countr ies could  better  
integrate global trade , as well as to meet the ir other challenges. So if the work is taken forward in 
the direction of identifying the challeng es which almost all of us know, and clearly laying  them down 
and then the way forward, then we could be making progress in the right direction. Thank you Chair.  
40.  The Representative of the European Union  delivered the following statement:  
41.  The European Union would like to welcome you, Ambassador, as Chair of this Working Group, 
and offer you our support. We would also like to echo your thanks to the outgoing chair, the 
Ambassador of Peru, for his leadership of this Working Group. In particular, the meeting of 
24 November 2022, which combined a policy -oriented agenda with seminar -style presentations from 
a wide variety of experts and stakeholders, was very rich.  
42.  We think that the analysis of the relationship between trade and technology transfer can benefit 
from the input and ideas of Members as well as external experts, international organisations, and 
stakeholders including private -sector representatives. This also links to recent initiatives and ideas 
to reform the way in which WTO bodies work, from which thi s Working Group could perhaps benefit.  WT/WGTTT/M/69  
 
- 6 - 
 
  43.  As you know, the European Union has tabled suggestions to strengthen the deliberative function 
of the WTO in addressing global challenges faced by Members. The African Group has submitted that 
trade and technology tr ansfer are one of the areas that deserve closer attention. Egypt has also 
made suggestions in this regard at the previous meeting of the Working Group. There seems to be 
material for this Working Group to work on, and the EU would be interested in being in volved in 
such work.  
44.  The Representative of South Africa  delivered the following statement:  
45.  My delegation would like to express its appreciation to the outgoing Chair, the distinguished 
Ambassador of Peru, for the excellent contribution of his delegation to  the work of this Group.  
46.  Turning to the substantive elements, the mandate of the Working Group is to examine the 
relationship between trade and technology transfer and make any possible recommendations on 
steps that might be taken within the mandate of th e WTO to increase flows of technology to 
developing countries. This was in recognition that a number of provisions in the WTO Agreements 
mentioned the need for transfer of technology to take place between developed and developing 
countries. However, it is not clear how such transfer takes place in practice, whether existing 
mechanisms are effective to promote technology transfer, and if specific measures might be taken 
within the WTO to encourage such flows of technology.  
47.  Trade and technology transfer are inherently linked as the exchange of goods and services 
between countries often involves the transfer of technology. Technology transfer can occur through 
various means such as licensing, joint ventures and FDI. However, transfer of technology is not 
alway s a smooth process as it can be hindered inter alia by legal and regulatory barriers, lack of 
infrastructure, and skilled labour. Some of these mechanisms have not assisted to ensure equitable 
and affordable access to the requisite technologies in a fair b asis due to a number of factors, 
including the lack of transparency in the terms and conditions of such access.  
48.  Professor, you will know that developed countries have historically held the technological 
advantage over developing countries, which has allow ed them to dominate global markets. They 
have used their technological superiority to extract favourable trade terms from developing 
countries, including access to their markets and natural resources. This has led to concerns that the 
international trad ing system is inherently biased against developing countries and perpetuates global 
inequality.  
49.  Regulations should promote access to medical technologies of proven quality, safety and 
efficacy. It is also important to explore how access to publicly funded re search can be made more 
accessible, especially in circumstances relating to  issues of global commons.  
50.  The Trilateral study between the WIPO, the WHO and the WTO has identified examples of 
initiatives aimed at promoting the effective technology transfer witness ed during the COVID -19 
pandemic . Cases where some Members  allowed state aid to go to COVID -19 related R&D on condition 
that beneficiaries committed to granting non -exclusive licenses under non -discriminatory market 
conditions to third parties. In the  European Economic Area , the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness 
and Innovations (CEPI) and Product Development Partnerships (PDP) , created in the wake of the 
2014 Ebola virus outbreak by philanthropies and a number of Governments, have to date received 
USD 1.4 billion from Governments ; and for COVID -19 related work, an unprecedentedly large 
investment in the PDP. CEPI requires that producers provide equitable access to any vaccine 
developed through its funding. It further requires that product developers b e willing to undertake 
technology transfer to enable production by a global network of manufacturers. There is a need, 
therefore, to explore how these examples can be used to develop a more conducive environment to 
ensure equitable access to technologies t hat are necessary to address global commons, including 
public health, food security and indeed, climate change.  
51.  With regard to the role of the Working Group, more specifically, my delegation has advocated 
for a more balanced and equitable system that prom otes the transfer of technology to developing 
countries on a fair and reasonable terms. This is consistent with the mandate of this Working Group, 
which was established to promote transfer of technology to developing countries and to ensure that 
IP protect ion, among others, does not hinder access to essential medicines and technologies.  WT/WGTTT/M/69  
 
- 7 - 
 
  52.  In its paper, which I thank the distinguished delegate from the EU for referencing , the Africa 
Group , in looking at the need for policy space and industrialization, the Gro up has highlighted that 
there is importance for technology transfer and technological know -how as essential elements for 
improving productivity, competitiveness, promoting export growth and realizing the developmental 
aspirations of developing countries , particularly in Africa.  
53.  There is a need for the WTO to ensure that trade rules provide a better balance between the 
protection of incentives to promote research and innovations, on the one hand, and the unfolding 
needs of society, on the other. The COVID -19 pandemic exposed this imbalance quite starkly. 
Transfer of technology, therefore, is an important policy tool to narrow the technological productivity 
gap. As seen in the widening digital divide, technology transfer allows for the promotion of 
meaningful  integration of developing countries and global trade.  
54.  Article 8 of the TRIPS  Agreement provides that Members  may take steps to safeguard the public 
interest in economic and technological development. Article s 7 and 8 of that agreement express an 
intentio n of the Drafters that the TRIPS  Agreement should allow countries to pursue measures 
protecting their societal interests. However, Members  have not developed the mechanism to achieve 
these objectives as yet. The WTO needs to develop a framework for technol ogy transfer, including 
a set of appropriate challenge for technology transfer to ensure that it is affordable and accessible 
to developing countries.  
55.  There is an urgent need to facilitate digital and green technology transfers to enable African 
countries , among others, to structurally transform . The TRIPS Council and the Working Group on  
Trade and  Technology Transfer must, within their respective mandates, consider this issue. This is 
all the more critical in the context where highly concentrated production has hindered the ability of 
the global community to respond timelessly to pandemics. And we know that this is a trend that will 
continue. And hence, our institution has in the Ministerial Declaration on the W TO Response to the 
Pandemic and Prepar edness  for future Pandemics , also assigned work in that regard. Hence, my 
delegation is of the view th at the Working Group on Trade and Technology Transfer should be 
rejuvenized  to ensure focused and concerted efforts to deliver on its mandate.  
56.  Finally, Chair, my delegation would like to congratulate you on your appointment. We have 
every confidence that your background will ensure that the relevant and necessary level of academic 
rigor is applied to our deliberations. With that, I thank you.  
57.  The Representative of Canada  delivered the following statement:  
58.  Thank you very much, professor , and congratulations  on your election. We  would also like to 
congratulate the outgoing chair as well.  
59.  Madam Chair, we have heard this morning , and I think we had a very fruitful discussion,  some 
very valuable suggestions on how to structure , or indeed , improve our work . On that, really just to 
get the ball rolling , Canada believes that to help focus our discussions on technology transfer here 
at the WTO, it would be beneficial to enhance, including through inter -organizational cooperation 
and coordinati on, our understanding of the roles and the concrete, existing technology -transfer 
tools, programs and projects of other international organizations, and particularly international or 
regional financial institutions such as the African Development Bank, the  EBRD or the World Bank, 
or other organizations and initiatives such as the Global Environment Facility, the UNFCCC’s 
Technology Mechanism or the WHO’s mRNA Technology Transfer Programme.  
60.  Canada further and indeed increasingly believes that an assessment o f what is done elsewhere 
is key to informing our discussions here at the WTO, key to identifying what gaps exist, key to 
avoiding duplication and promoting mutual supportiveness, and key to helping identify – or better 
identify – exactly how the WTO’s rule s can shape its role in providing a trade -policy framework for 
technology -transfer programs and projects, how that framework can support and potentiate the 
delivery of these programs and projects, and ultimately in complementing and supporting the 
practica l work of other institutions, organizations and initiatives.  
61.  Canada has no strong views as to how the WTO could go about this exercise, as it were – 
perhaps the Secretariat could undertake to canvass and survey other organizations, or perhaps we 
could hea r from these organizations here in this Working Group, or perhaps both.  WT/WGTTT/M/69  
 
- 8 - 
 
  62.  However, Canada does believe that it is important and indeed essential to hear from institutions, 
organizations and initiatives that deliver concrete technology -transfer programs and p rojects, and 
to feed this back into our discussions here in the Working Group, again with a view to placing the 
WTO’s role in proper perspective, and thus working to promote inter -organizational coherence, 
efficiency and mutual supportiveness.  Thank you ve ry much, Chair.  
63.  The Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia  delivered the following statement:  
64.  Saudi Arabia would like to offer our support and positive contribution. W e echo what previous 
colleagues have said: Trade and t echnology transfer is a very important topic  with implications in 
various fields including health, pandemics, environment  and ecommerce. We also welcome the 
participation of other international organization s in this Working Group . Their inputs will be of great 
use for us. We also wou ld like to thank Members  who have tabled proposals and who are willing to 
table proposals as well. We remain engaged to work constructively with you  Madam  Chair,  and with 
the Members . Thank you.  
65.  The Representative of Malawi  delivered the following statemen t: 
66.  Thank you Chair. I would like to thank the outgoing chair for the work which was undertaken 
under his chairmanship and welcome you , Madam Chair. My delegation would like to signal our 
availability to actively engage and contribute towards the work of this Working Group .  
67.  Transfer of technology is a cross cutting issue. There is need to coordinate the work of this 
Working Group and other bodie s within the WTO, as well as external international organizations 
which are undertaking work in the technology transfer sphere.  
68.  For an L DC like Malawi, technology transfer is an important policy tool. It will enable us to build 
our productive capacities, industrialize and integrate into regional and global value chains. We 
already have a mandate for this Working Group which has been guiding our work, work which was 
done in previous years,  and the MC12 outcome document, which also speaks to technology trans fer.  
69.  Chair, we wish you all the best in your new role and look forward to seeing meaningful 
technology transfer to developing and LDCs which will benefit all players in the multilateral trading 
system. I thank you, Chair.  
70.  The Chairperson  thanked Members f or their comments, ideas  and suggestions  which she found 
relevant for future work. She recognized the importance of knowledge -sharing in the Working 
Group's deliberations, and she encouraged Members to continue sharing, highlighting through 
national exampl es, the role that trade might have played or could play in facilitating technology 
generation, its transfer, assimilation and absorption, and the role it may have played in their 
economic development.  
71.  The Working Group took note  of the statements made.  
D. POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION ON STEPS THAT MIGHT BE TAKEN WITHIN THE 
MANDATE OF THE WTO TO INCREASE FLOWS OF TECHNOLOGY TO DEVELOPING 
COUNTRIES  
72.  The Chairperson  recalled that, since a number of years, Members had been discussing the room 
document entitled "Facilit ating Access to Information on Appropriate Technology Sourcing – A step 
to increase flows of technology to developing countries", tabled by India, Pakistan and the 
Philippines. The proponents had previously informed the Working Group that they continued to  work 
on a formal submission which they hoped to table in the Working Group in the near future. They had 
also stated that they remained open to hearing other Members' comments and suggestions so that 
these could be incorporated in a future formal proposal.  The proponents had also stated that they 
would continue to work with other like -minded delegations so as to finalize a formal submission. She 
then asked the proponents as to the status of their prospective formal submission and invited other 
interested Me mbers to make any additional comments or share views.  
  WT/WGTTT/M/69  
 
- 9 - 
 
  73.  The Representative of India delivered the following statement:  
74.  Thank you, Chair, for referring to the submission which was made by India along with other 
proponents. We consider that in the WTO contex t, the subject of technology transfer is very  
important ; and extremely important for developing countries ; and also that WTO can do a lot 
because of the rules which have an impact on technology transfer.  
75.  So we have been deliberating on this issue very ser iously, Chair. And since this is such a large 
topic, developing any paper, any research work, it takes effort. And also you would realize that 
technology transfer space and the requirements and the constraints are ever growing. And as it also 
transpired in  this meeting , that we are getting into newer areas, newer technologies.  
76.  Having said that, we would like to say , in this regard , as to while we  will be making some kind 
of submission , attempting that , and hopefully we will be able to do that in some time.  The issue 
before the committee which we have been mentioning , and which I also mentioned in the morning 
session , is that there are numerous challenges in technology transfer and the WTO regulatory 
framework  also causes certain issues there.  
77.  As mentioned  by previous speakers , the rules at present remain soft , which are not binding , 
and kind of favouring the patent holder, the technology holder, not so much the developing country, 
the users of these technologi es. There are issues not only about the patent, but also about the 
voluntary licensing, there are issues about the compulsory licensing and of course not very effective 
implementation of whatever flexibilities are there because of the way they have been bu ilt in the 
rules of WTO.  
78.  While we  will be making a formal submission, we are still working on it and I can assure you 
that we should , perhaps , be able to do it before the next meeting. There are numerous areas for 
future work including beginning from tech nical assistance, capacity buildings, the movement of 
professionals, the skilled manpower, how this can help and how this can be facilitated. There are 
provisions for streamlining the voluntary licensing practices. Some of these areas  have been 
mentioned t oday in terms of public funding. And then there could be various others like the patent s 
pool, web portals and all those kinds of suggestions which we are looking at , with  the possibility of 
presenting before the committee and then looking at the rules : What kind of balances are required 
in the rules, in the existing rules and what this committee can recommend from there on and what 
other committees , because this is, as mentioned  earlier,  a cross -cutting issue involving the work of 
other committees. So how t he synergy is developed in this group, the work which is being done in 
other committees so that we can move ahead with some kind of concrete suggestions is important 
for all of us, particularly the developing countries and the least developed countries. T hank you, 
Chair.  
79.  The Representative of Equatorial Guinea  delivered the following statement:  
80.  Thank you very much, Madam Chair. May I at the outset extend to you my congratulations on 
your election to the chair of this group. May I also  say as an observer cou ntry, that in my view , this 
is a very important topic which is causing our countries to fall behind, particularly in terms of their 
development. And this is of course very central to what we understand in the transfer of technology 
field. And the pandemic was something which was very tangible in this sense.  
81.  The developed countries, that is countries from what we call the first world, are subject to a lot 
of illegal migration. Th ese countries are seen as a form of El Dorado . Our countries , which are rich 
in terms of minerals, see that  hidden wealth under the earth's crust. If we had the technology to 
transform those commodities, we would create jobs. And if we created jobs, then the youth in our 
countries would  not leave. They would  not be abandoning everyth ing, seeking better li ves. That is  
why I see this as being a very important topic and developed countries should take this very 
seriously, looking at this as a way to slow the flows of illegal migration that we see day after day. 
And it is also deaths that we see along these migration rout es. So that is  why I think it is important 
and that is  why I see, looking from the perspective of my country , and we are a country which does 
have a great deal of wealth, we have lots of oil.  
82.  The support that we receive  in my country , and there is a sayin g in the local dialect that goes: 
To give your brother food every day , to help him eat , is not the best way to help him ; and the best WT/WGTTT/M/69  
 
- 10 - 
 
  way is to give him a way to feed himself. So you give him the fishing rod and you teach him how to 
use it. And I think thi s is how developed and industrialized countries could help the less developed 
countries, particularly least developed countries, precisely to try to slow these migratory flows which 
are one -way streets, let  us face it, towards developed countries. It is dr iven by poverty, despite all 
of this great wealth that we do have, but we just don't know how to transform, and this would create 
jobs. That is  what I wanted to say. Thank you very much , Madam Chair.  
83.  The Chairperson  said that she believed it was Members' c ollective responsibility to advance work 
so as to fulfil the mandate that Ministers have given to the Working Group; and, that there was a 
need to reassess and analyse the current status of work as, after two decades, the Ministerial 
mandate was yet to be fulfilled. She further expressed that major responsibility for propelling the 
work towards a meaningful progress lied on Members, especially the proponents. Therefore, she 
encouraged the proponents to table their formal submission as early as possible so t hat the Working 
Group could have constructive and meaningful engagement for achieving progress.   
84.  The Chairperson informed the Working Group that she intended to hold a process of informal 
consultations, to hear and ascertain Members' ideas on how worked could be advanced, both through 
continued exchanges of experiences, as also on the formulation of s teps that could be taken within 
the WTO to increase flows of technology transfer. She also said that she would be contacting all 
delegations for that purpose shortly, and she encouraged Members to continue discussing these 
issues amongst themselves.  
85.  The W orking Group took note  of the statements made.  
E. OTHER BUSINESS  
86.  No matter was raised under "Other Business".  
87.  The Chairperson said that the next meeting was tentatively scheduled for July 2023 before the 
summer break, and a third session, in the fourth quarte r, was also tentatively scheduled in October 
and that updated information would be circulated as they become available.  
88.  The meeting was adjourned .  
 
__________