The intensive three-day programme focused on sharing experiences and offered an opportunity for an exchange with international experts to design policies that support innovation and access to health technologies, including through health, trade and IP frameworks.
The workshop was designed in close collaboration with the secretariats of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It was organized with the support of the Thai International Trade and Public Health Programme.
Participants heard from international experts, the private and public sectors, researchers and senior officials, who shared their experiences of implementing policies to support equitable access to health technologies. Topical issues covered by the workshop included IP licensing and technology transfer in support of sustainable manufacturing capacities; implementation and practicalities of using flexibilities in the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS); lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic; as well as the role of health, trade and IP tools in addressing global health challenges, such as climate change and mpox.
Participants exchanged experiences from the region and simulated inter-agency cooperation through participants’ presentations, group discussions and a case study. Discussions on ways to promote access to medicines underscored the need for coordinated action given the complexity of the challenges encountered when health and trade come together.
At the closing round table, participants stressed the need for collaboration among various government authorities and clear political will to support implementing departments and officials. The importance of building capacity at senior and technical levels to deal with the trade and health nexus was highlighted. Participants appreciated the opportunity to build a regional network to further integrate health, trade and IP policies.
The WTO Secretariat offers capacity building activities to provide tailor-made support to specific regions and subregions. More information about face-to-face activities is available here.
The WHO-WIPO-WTO Trilateral Technical Assistance Platform (Trilateral Technical Assistance Platform) aims to help members and WTO accession candidates address their capacity building needs to respond to the challenges and opportunities arising at the intersection of public health, intellectual property and trade.
It provides a one-stop shop that makes available the full range of expertise of the WHO, WIPO and the WTO to deal with those policy dimensions in a coordinated and systematic manner.
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