RESTRICTED  
  
WT/WGTTT/M/59  
 
10 April 2019 
(19-2315) Page: 1/3 
Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology  
Fifty-Ninth Session    
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 26 OCTOBER  2018  
Chairperson: H.E. Ms Sabine Böhlke Möller (Namibia ) 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGEN DA ................................ ................................ ...................  1 
B. ANALYSIS OF THE RELA TIONSHIP BETWEEN TRA DE AND TRANSFER OF 
TECHNOLOGY  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  1 
C. ANY POSSIBLE RECOMME NDATIONS ON STEPS TH AT MIGHT BE TAKEN WI THIN 
THE MANDATE OF THE W TO TO INCREASE FLOWS  OF TECHNOLOGY TO DE VELOPING 
COUNTRIES  ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  2 
D. OTHER BUSINESS  ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 3 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGEN DA  
1.  The agenda contained in Airgram WTO/AIR/WGTTT/12  of 11 October  2018 was adopted . 
B. ANALYSIS OF THE RELA TIONSHIP BETWEEN TRA DE AND TRANSFER OF 
TECHNOLOGY  
2.  Under the agenda item on the relationship between trade and transfer of technology, Members 
continued  to discuss the relationship between trade and transfe r of technology on the basis of two 
presentations made  by the FAO and the World Bank.  
3.  In sharing the organization's perspective on innovation in Agriculture , the presentation by FAO 
shed light on its wo rk through selective examples and case studies. It underscored  the strategic 
focus of the organization's work on: (a) h elping to eliminate hunger, food insecurity and 
malnutrition ; (b) m aking  agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable ; (c) 
reducing  rural poverty ; (d) enabling  inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems ; and (e) 
increasing  the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises . The FAO's target w as to work towards 
achieving food security for all - Food for All - Sustainable Development Goal 2 - and making sure 
that people had  regular access to enough high -quality food  to lead active, healthy lives.  The work 
revolved around all aspects of the produ ction cycle, increasing productivity and ensuring adequate 
availability of nutritious food.  This work is spread across 130 countries.  
4.  It highlighted that innovation in agriculture cut  across all dimensions of the production cycle 
along the entire value cha in, including agri -crops, forestry, fishery or livestock from production to 
the management of inputs and resources, to organi zation and market access. In addition, the FAO 
collaborated with a range of partners in building the capacities of member Stat es, through technical 
co-operation and training.  
5.  The salient points of the F AO's work in this area included:  (a) Agriculture Innovation System 
(AIS) - a network of actors (individuals, organizations and enterprises), together with supporting 
institutions and p olicies in the agricultura l and related sectors that brought  existing or new products, 
processes, and forms of organization into soc ial and economic use. The AIS was  comprised of four 
main components:  research and education, business and enterprises, bridg ing institutions, and the 
enabling environment ; (b) eLocust3  - (ways in which  the latest advances of digital IT were used  
successfully  to arrest and decline the duration, intensity and frequency of devastating Desert Lo cus 
plagues in Africa and Asia);  (c) Use of blockchain technology  - (citing Ethiopia's example on how 
blockchain tech nology helped increase transparency and distribute d more value and profit across WT/WGTTT/M/59  
 
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  production chain s, including to the small -scale coffee producers in Ethiopia);  (d) Climate Smart 
Agriculture (CSA)  – an approach to guide actions towards reorienting agriculture system to the 
effects of climate change , so as to achieve sustainable  increasing productivity and incomes, adapting 
and building resilience to climate change and reducin g/removing greenhouse gas emissions;  
(e) Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP)  – in order to bring capacity development up to speed 
with the challenges facing agriculture in the 21st century, the partners of TAP had adopted a new 
approach that moves away from the idea, successfully adopted during the Green Revol ution, that 
saw knowledge being passed on to farmers through the transfer  of technology. Instead, TAP had  
embraced the AIS perspective, which recognized that agricultural innovation was  a process in volving 
many different actors and factors , which  could only take off if it met  the demands of its principal 
users; and  (f) Capacity Development for Agriculture Innovation Systems (CDAIS)  - 
Launched in 2015 and funded by the European Union , the overall obje ctive of CDAIS was  to make 
AIS more efficient and sustainable in meeting the demands of farmers, agri -business and consumers , 
thereby help ing improve food security. CDAIS operates in eight pilot countries, in Africa, Asia and 
Latin America. The capacity development interventio ns in the se eight countries were demand -driven , 
and integrated  development of individual competencies and organizational  capacities with  policy 
dialogues. The work  enable d policies that promote d improved capaci ty for AIS , joint innovation and 
the organizational culture,  as well as  practices and procedures of key stakeholder organizations.  
6.  The World Bank 's presentation entit led "Trade and Investment in the Age of Disruptive 
Technologies" , underscored how the exponential advancements in the technological field were 
impacting and s haping the development model. In doing so, it pointed towards a number of 
challenge s that needed t o be addressed. These challenges included, among others, economic 
growth, forced displacement, inequality, changing demographics, climate change, urbanization, 
pandemics, polarization of political and social institutions, fragility, confl ict and violence. These 
issues were  further influenced by emerging/evolving trends in new means of production, sharing, 
connectivity and disruption, digitalization and its ability to enable access, development of human 
capital, capacity to adapt and thriv e in this digital a ge, all of which were shaping a new development 
model.  
7.  New client demands for advice and implementation know -how related to these trends were 
challenging  the World Bank's traditional value proposition, understanding of technology trends and 
conventional wa ys of appro aching.  The World Bank 's work was  centered around three "Bs" – Build, 
Boost a nd Broker. The  Bank served  as a trusted advisor and partner in supporting the 
implementation of new sustainable pathw ays to development through  making  the best of the 
opportunities that exponential technology trends provide d. To that end, the Bank engaged  with 
governments and people, coordinated  with development partners and mobilize d the private sector 
to: (a) build and develop foundational building blocks for susta inable technology -led economies;  (b) 
boost and expand the capacity of governments and institutions to thrive in a resilient ec onomy in 
the face of disruption;  and (c) broker and harness disruptive technologies, data and expertise to 
address development challe nges and manage risks . The overall impact of the technological 
revolution depended critically on the level and quality of investments countries were willing to make 
in human capital , so as to endow their firms and citizens to create and take up jobs, inven t new 
products and production processes and add value in the new rapidly evolving environment.  
8.  Members found the FAO and the World Bank 's presentations useful, rich, thought -provoking and 
relevant to the work of the Working Group and engaged in prelimi nary discussion on some of the  
elements  contained therein . 
C. ANY POSSIBLE RECOMME NDATIONS ON STEPS TH AT MIGHT BE TAKEN WI THIN THE 
MANDATE OF THE WTO T O INCREASE FLOWS OF TECHNOLOGY TO DEVELO PING 
COUNTRIES  
9.  Under the agenda item, on possible recommendations  that the Working Group could make in the 
future, the proponents informed that they continued to work on a formal submission which they 
hoped to table in the Wo rking Group in the near future . The African Group  was of the view that one 
of the possible recom mendations that the Working Group could make related to  technology transfer 
would be  the establishment of a dedicated WT O webpage . The proposed webpage could serve as a 
one-stop-shop on technology -related issues and could, among others, include information  on the 
following: (i) description of all technology and its transfer -related provisions in the WTO Agreements; 
(ii) reports on the nature of incentives provided by the governments to firms under Article  66.2 of WT/WGTTT/M/59  
 
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  the Agreement on TRIPS;  and (ii i) links to I P information data bases, technology transfer offices, and 
technology and innovation research institutions across the globe.  
10.  Furthermore, i n recalling the mandate of the Working Group in paragraph 37 of the Doha 
Declaration and paragraph 43 of the Hong Kong  Declaration , the African Group  alluded to the work 
progra mme adopted by Members  in July 2003 and asked Members to revisit and restructure it by, 
among others, adding strict time lines to complete its work. Some of the elements proposed for the 
restructurin g of the work programme include d: (a) carrying out  assessment s of the needs of 
developing countries for transfer of technology ; (b) identifying the problems and constraints faced 
by developing countries in gaining access to the needed technology available in developed countries , 
including pricing policies ; (c) examining all the WTO Agreements to identify any constraints that 
certain provisions in these Agreements may be creating against transfer of technology to developing 
countries ; (d) assessing the imple mentation by developed countries of all WTO provisions related to 
transfer of technology to developing countries , with a view to identifying the needs for appropriate 
changes/strengthening of these provisions ; (e) studying the design of instruments and inc entives, 
including tax incentives, that developed countries could grant to enterprises and institutions in their 
own territories , in order to disseminate and transfer technology to developing countries ; and  
(f) examining channels , including foreign direct invest ment for transfer of technology  and impact of 
TRIPS on competition policy and balance of payments.  In addition, t he Secretariat was also 
requested to compile and update current notes to reflect  information on issues that had  been 
identified as elemen ts of the work programme.  
11.  The European Union  requested the African Group to make a wri tten submission in this regard.  
D. OTHER BUSINESS  
12.  No matter w as raised under "Other Business".  
13.  However, under this agenda item , the Chair informed  the Members that, as per the mandate, 
the Working Group was required to make a n annual  report on its  work to the General Council. 
Accordingly,  she was  in the process of preparing a factual report on  the work undertaken during the  
year. The report  would , as in the past,  be the Chair's responsibility,  follow  the format of previous 
reports and  be adopted by circulation. A draft of the report would  be circulated to Members by 
5 November  2018 with the request  to communic ate comments, if any, to the Secretariat by 
12 November  2018. If no substantive comments on the report were received by cob 
12 November  2018, she would  assume  that Members were okay with it  and hence , the report would 
be consider ed adopted. Thereafter, it would be forward ed to the General Council.  
14.  The meeting w as adjourned . 
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