WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  IP/C/W/519/Add.6 
13 November 2008 
 
 (08-5540) 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects 
of Intellectual Property Rights Original:   English 
 
 
 
REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTICLE 66.2 
OF THE TRIPS AGREEMENT 
 
AUSTRALIA 
 
Addendum  
  
 The following communication, dated 24 Octobe r 2008, from the Delegation of Australia is 
being circulated pursuant to paragraph 1 of the Decision on Implementation of Article 66.2 of the 
TRIPS Agreement.  It was circulated as an a dvance copy at the Council's October 2008 meeting. 
  
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1. The following report is submitted by Australia in accordance with paragraph 1 of the 
Decision of the Council for TRIPS of 19 February  2003 on "Implementation of Article 66.2 of the 
TRIPS Agreement" (IP/C/28) which provides that  developed country Members submit annually 
reports on actions taken or pl anned in pursuance of their commitments under Article 66.2. 
I. TYPE OF INCENTIVES 
2. Technology transfer is interpreted in this repor t to include training, education and know-how.  
Australia's transfer of technology to least devel oped countries (LDCs) occurs through the facilitation 
of a strong intellectual property environment in LDCs, through incentives that form part of the 
Government's bilateral and re gional development assistance programme, and occurs through export-
related activity as a normal product of market forces.   Technology transfer may occur through exports 
and outward or direct investment by Australian firms in other countries.  This transfer of technology 
may occur in joint ventures between Australian firms and overseas companies or governments. 
3. Australia recognizes that technology transfer , economic growth and poverty reduction are 
best fostered in an efficient, open and market-based economy.  Fundamental to this framework is 
good governance.  Australia provides extensive gove rnance assistance to LD Cs (the preliminary 
figure for 2006-07 is approximately $A623 million)  which includes programmes aimed at improving 
economic and financial management, strengthening the rule of law and justice, increasing public 
sector effectiveness and developing civil society and human rights. 
4. Australia considers that the education of LDC nationals at Australian (and other) universities 
and their training in the use and management of technological equipment comprise two of the most 
effective means of transferring technology an d know-how to which Australia has access.  
Consequently, a significant portion of Australia's as sistance is directed at providing education and 
training.  A detailed account of some Australian act ivities and funding is provided below, including a IP/C/W/519/Add.6 
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  table showing the Australian aid programme's assist ance to least developed countries with a major 
technological transfer component during 2007-2008. 
II. GOVERNMENT AGENCY MAKING THE INCENTIVES AVAILABLE 
5. This report focuses on information on activities th at promote technology transfer carried out 
by the Australian Agency for Inte rnational Development (AusAID). 
III. ELIGIBLE ENTERPRISES AND INSTITUTIONS PROVIDING INCENTIVES 
6. The vast majority of Australian development assistance activities are implemented by 
organizations and individuals selected through a competitive tendering process.  Australian aid to LDCs has been untied since 2001 and has been untied to all countries since 2006, allowing non-Australian organizations to bid for contracts to supply goods and services under the aid programme.   
IV. APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY 
7. For sustainable development, it is critical that t echnology transfer be appropriate to the needs 
of the particular country.  In order to ensure this, Australia jointly develops country strategies with all 
major partner countries to form the basis of developm ent assistance.  Country strategies are informed 
by a country-specific analysis of development need s and dialogue with partner governments as to the 
most effective way for Australia to help address thos e needs.  Australia has working partnerships with 
a range of international and community organizat ions to ensure harmonization of resources and 
appropriately targeted assistance. 
V. MONITORING AND EVALUATION 
8. Monitoring and measuring the effectiveness and results of development assistance are key 
concerns for the Australian aid programmeme.  A rang e of mechanisms and experts are used to ensure 
the effectiveness of monetary incentives, incl uding the AusAID Audit Committee, High Level 
Advisory Groups, the Aid Advisory Council, the Committee for Development Co-operation, peer 
reviews and corporate reviews.  To ensure that Au stralia is at the forefront of global efforts to 
improve development effectiveness, AusAID's Offi ce of Development Effectiveness was established 
in 2006. 
VI. DETAILS OF INCENTIVES FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO LDCS 
A. A
USAID:   BILATERAL PROGRAMMES  
9. Australia provided approximately $A623 milli on in development assistance to LDCs in 
2007-2008.  Many of these activities carry a technolog y transfer or investment component.  Examples 
of activities for which technology transfer or inv estment is a major compone nt or the primary aim 
have been included below. 
1. Solomon Islands – Economic Reform Programme 
10. Since 2004, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has been 
supporting the Solomon Islands Government to de velop and implement econom ic reform through a 
specialized Economic Reform Unit based in the Mi nistry of Finance and Treasury.  Working with 
local counterparts, advisers from Australia and New Zealand (including the Australian Treasury) have 
assisted the Solomon Islands Government to in troduce a new Foreign Investment Act and State 
Owned Enterprises Act;  improve efficiency and equ ity in the tax system through a reduction in tax 
and duty exemptions;  and facilitate incr eased competition in the aviation sector.   IP/C/W/519/Add.6 
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  2. Vanuatu – Governance for Growth 
11. Australia is supporting the Government of Vanuatu through the $A32 million Governance for 
Growth programme, from 2008 to 2011.   Vanuatu and Australia aim to  work jointly to identify and 
overcome governance obstacles to broad based gr owth, effective service delivery and poverty 
reduction, especially to Vanuatu's rural population.   The programme draws on a wide range of aid 
modalities including technical assistance, grants, dir ect investment as incentives, and brokering the 
involvement of international organizations and other donors. 
B. REGIONAL AND GLOBAL PROGRAMMES  
12. In addition to bilateral assistance, the Australia n aid programme provides LDCs with transfers 
of technology through various regi onal and global programmes.  In most cases, it is difficult to 
separate expenditure specifically to LDCs thr ough these programmes;  however, LDCs are included 
as beneficiaries. 
1. ASEAN-Australian Development Cooperation Programmeme 
13. The ASEAN-Australian Development C ooperation Programme, with a budget of 
$A57 million (2008-15), has a programme stream that  includes: customs capacity building;  legal 
infrastructure for e-commerce;  assistance in pr ivate sector competitiveness and SME development; 
quality assurance systems for fruit, vegetables, fish and fishery products;  animal and plant health 
management and quarantine;  and risk assess ment in support of food safety measures. 
2. Economic Cooperation Work Programme (ECWP) 
14. The ASEAN-Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement concluded in August includes a 
chapter on economic cooperation.  This is the firs t time Australia has included such a provision in a 
free trade agreement.  It will be implemented through an Economic Cooperation Work Programme 
worth some $A20-25 million over five years, desi gned to fund technical assistance and capacity 
building for ASEAN member States to implement the free trade agreement. 
3. Trade Analysis and Reform Project (TARP) 
15. This initiative is a $A7.1 million, three-year activity that aims to assist participating 
economies of the Mekong region (Cambodia, Lao PD R, Viet Nam and Thailand) to meet the 
challenges of, and benefit from, global trade libera lisation and regional economic integration.  In 
particular, the activity aims to enhance awareness of WTO Agreements and provide technical and advisory assistance with WTO accession and implementation issues.  
16. TARP also includes the funding of a specialist position in Lao PDR to assist in the 
implementation of the Integrated Framework.  This Framework aims to mainstream trade into national 
development plans such as the National Growth and P overty Eradication Strategy, and to assist in the 
coordinated delivery of trade-related technical as sistance in response to needs identified by the 
Government of Lao PDR. 
4. World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Project to Strengthen Veterinary Services 
to Combat Avian Influenza and Other Priority Diseases in South East Asia 
17. This project is assisting veterinary services in  the region to meet OIE international quality 
standards.  Australia is providing up to $A3 million over three years to support the OIE/FAO 
"OFFLU" programme (an international scientific ad visory and technical exchange programme for 
avian influenza), conduct quality assessments a nd implement capacity building activities. IP/C/W/519/Add.6 
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  5. South East Asia Foot and Mouth Disease Campaign 
18. This programme is implemente d by OIE and involves the coordinated control of foot and 
mouth (FMD) disease by eight ASEAN countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, 
Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam).  The long-term objective of the campaign is to facilitate and promote the international trade of animals and animal products by creating FMD-free 
areas in the region.  This includes improving vete rinary standards and adding value to the regional 
control programme.  Australia has provided n early $A4 million for the programme since 1996. 
6. Asia Regional Sanitary and Phytosa nitary Capacity Building Programme 
19. This programme aims to enhance the capac ity of selected ASEAN countries (all except 
Singapore and Brunei) to meet international sta ndards consistent with the WTO Agreement on the 
application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures.  In particular, countries' capabilities to 
address animal and human health aspects of SPS ar e being strengthened.  The aid programme has 
committed $A3.9 million towards this initiative, im plemented by the Department of Agriculture, 
Fisheries and Forestry. 
7. Support for Trade Capacity Building  
20. Australia and the Pacific island countries ar e preparing to commence negotiations on a 
regional free trade agreement known as the Paci fic Agreement on Closer Economic Cooperation 
(PACER Plus).  Australia has announced a range of  measures to build the knowledge and capacity of 
Pacific island country governments to develop and assess trade policy, and to help them negotiate 
outcomes that support their domestic goals.  This support includes a facility to help each country to 
conduct national research on trade priorities and the establishment of a trade fellowship to train officials who will be engaging in PACER Plus negotia tions.  In addition, Australia has funded Pacific-
based research bodies to produce independent report s on trade issues of importance to the region.  
This important programme of work continues to  be developed in cons ultation with partner 
governments. 
8. Australia Pacific Technical College 
21. This project works in partnership with industr y and regional governments in the Pacific, and 
aims to increase the number of skilled Pacific Is land graduates as well as to improve the quality of 
their training to meet Australian standards of vocati onal and technical education.  The intention is for 
Pacific Island economies to benefit from larger, be tter skilled workforces to support economic growth, 
and for graduates to benefit from improved employment opportunities at home and in an increasingly international labour market.  Initia l funding of $A149.5 million will provide for the establishment and 
operation of the college for the first four year s between 2007 and 2011.  Tr aining will be undertaken 
in Fiji, PNG, Samoa and Vanuatu.  It is expected to graduate around 3,000 students in the first four 
years in the areas of hospitality and tourism;  au tomotive, construction, electrical and manufacturing 
trades;  and health and community services.  
9. Australian Scholarships 
22. Australian scholarships provide educationa l, research and professional development 
opportunities to support growth in the region and to bu ild enduring links at the individual, institutional 
and country levels.  Award programmes, manage d by AusAID are the Australian Development 
Scholarships (ADS) and the Australian Leadersh ip Awards (ALA).  These programmes aim to 
strengthen human resource capacity, build partnerships and linkages,  address regional priority issues 
and contribute to long-term development needs in  Australia's partner countries.  The Endeavour 
programme managed by DEEWR focuses on strengtheni ng education linkages,  skills and knowledge  IP/C/W/519/Add.6 
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  while showcasing Australia's excellence in educa tion, science and training.  From 2006, Australian 
scholarships will provide approximately $A1.4 billi on over five years.  LDCs targeted under these 
scholarship programmes include:  Afghanistan, Ba ngladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Lao PDR, 
Lesotho, Malawi, Maldives, Mozambique, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, 
Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu and Zambia. 
10. Australian Centre for Internationa l Agricultural Research (ACIAR) 
23. The Australian Centre for Internationa l Agricultural Research (ACIAR) provided 
$A23.9 million in 2006-07 for joint technical and policy research projects with developing countries, 
mainly in the Asia-Pacific region.  ACIAR work s both bilaterally on research programmes that link 
Australian research institutions with developing co untry institutions, and multilaterally on research 
through grant and project specific funding to International Agricultural Centres.  Projects include 
technology adoption, knowl edge transfer and capacity building in areas including: agriculture, 
fisheries and forestry productivity and sustainab ility;  animal nutrition and health;  agricultural 
innovation, training and institutional refo rms;  and invasive pests and diseases. IP/C/W/519/Add.6 
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  Australia's aid programmeme:  Australia's Technical Assistance to
 
least developed countries 2007-2008  
 
 
Australia's Technical Assistance ODA to Least Developed countries for 2007-2008 in 
Australian dollars is summarised below.  Data  is not available for IP specific technology 
transfer elements, however the figures below cap ture the significant knowledge-transfer and 
capacity building that occurs in th e provision of technical assistance. 
  
Country $A 
AFGHANISTAN 66,788,992.83 
BANGLADESH 45,799,959.75 
BHUTAN 2,028,736.85 
CAMBODIA 48,879,011.13 
CHAD 261,284.00 
ERITREA 65,583.00 
ETHIOPIA 3,086,627.28 
HAITI 335,039.00 
KIRIBATI 6,176,446.76 
LESOTHO 636,789.66 
MALAWI 2,854,462.22 
MALDIVES 2,322,094.63 
MOZAMBIQUE 4,239,434.38 
MYANMAR 35,484,016.22 
NEPAL 9,616,082.60 
RWANDA 588,440.28 
SAMOA 12,548,653.60 
SENEGAL 75,505.00 
SIERRA LEONE 100,000.00 
SOLOMON ISLANDS  226,189,445.91 
SOMALIA 2,494,509.00 
SUDAN 26,383,318.71 
TIMOR-LESTE 85,098,420.22 
TUVALU 5,118,021.70 
UGANDA 2,383,209.84 
VANUATU 32,466,414.43 
ZAMBIA 1,884,161.38 
Total 623,904,660.37    
   
 
 
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