 RESTRICTED  
  
WT/WGTTT/M/63  
 
1 December 2020  
(20-8639) Page: 1/3 
Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology  
Sixty -Third Session   
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 28 SEPTEMBER 2020  
Chairperson: H.E. Mr  Stephen Fevrier (Saint-Lucia) 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  ................................ ................................ ...................  1 
B. ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADE AND TRANSFER OF 
TECHNOLOGY  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  1 
C. ANY POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATIONS ON STEPS THAT MIGHT BE TAKEN WITHIN 
THE MANDATE OF THE WTO TO INCREASE FLOWS OF TECHNOLOGY TO 
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES  ................................ ................................ .......................  2 
D. OTHER BUSINESS  ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 3 
 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The agenda contained in airgram WTO/AIR/WGTTT/16  of 28 August  2020 was adopted . 
2. The Chairperson, in his preliminary remarks,  recalled the 2015 Secretariat's "Summary 
Note on the discussions in the Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology" and assessed 
that ever since, little, in substantive terms, had happened in the Working Group. Against this 
background, he informed the Group that he would  start informal consultations with Members to 
hear their views on the lack of progress; and, to assess what could be done differently to fulfil 
the Working Group's mandate, as contained in Paragraph 37 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.  
B. ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADE AND TRANSFER OF 
TECHNOLOGY  
3. Under th is agenda item on the relationship between trade and transfer of technol ogy, three 
Members made presentations to discuss the relationship between trade and transfer of technology .  
4. El Salvador 's National Director of Innovation and Competitiveness (Ministry of Economy ) 
participated virtually  to the meeting . She presented El Salvador's Digital Agenda 2020 -30.  
The Agenda revolved around four areas of work entitled:  
i. Digital identity: an ecosystem of solutions for the management of personal data, the secure 
exchange of information and the integration of digital ser vices using a single national 
identity. This pillar aims to guarantee legal certainty, confidentiality of documents and allow 
the replacement of paper documents by their electronic version to simplify procedures and 
facilitate trade;  
ii. Innovation, education  and competitiveness: under this pillar, the objective is to promote 
interinstitutional and multisectoral integration for productive development through 
academic, scientific and technological research to impulse economic transformation. It is 
an ecosystem of innovation, the promotion of employability and trade supported by ICT to 
enhance knowledge management  and to reduce the digital divide ;  
iii. State modernization: to improve transparency, strengthen administrative records, 
safeguard and access personal data ; and  WT/WGTTT/M/63  
 
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  iv. Digital governance: under this pillar, the aim is to promote a favourable legal framework 
conducive to  a knowledge -based  economy.  
5. The Digital Agenda led to a rethinking of the productive innovation system. As a result, the 
Ministry of Economy develo ped a catalogue which had include d over 200 business training courses 
available online. Those include, inter alia, entrepreneurship, management, marketing, e -commerce 
and skills in the cloud (cloud computing, cybersecurity, bigdata, machine learning).  
6. The presentation concluded that international cooperation was key to accessing technology; 
and that it ought to be combined with concerted actions by the public and private sectors for its 
appropriation and diffusion.  
7. The presentation made by Saint Lucia  provided an academic perspective on the question of 
digital trade and the transfer of technology. It noted that the COVID 19 -related crisis called greater 
attention to online supply in sectors such as retail, health, education, telecommunications and 
audiovisua l services; and that it accelerated companies' efforts to expand online operations, and 
created new consumer behaviours that were likely to contribute to a profound and long -term shift 
towards online services.  
8. The representative of South Africa  focused his  presentation on the policy framework that had 
been guiding South Africa's approach to technology, its transfer and in respect of institutions that 
had been benefit ing from state funding. He explained that South Africa's National Development Plan 
entitled "A vision for 2030 (2011 -30)" provide d a general roadmap for transition ing towards a 
diversified economy. Further, South Africa's White Paper on Science and Technology describe d the 
National System of Innovation (NSI) as "a set of functioning institutions,  organizations and policies 
which impact constructively in the pursuit of a common set of social and economic goals and 
objectives". The NSI was considered the backbone in transforming the South African economy from 
resource -based to one that is knowledge -based.  
9. The presenter further stated that, as a result of the NSI, the South African Government play ed 
the role of an "entrepreneurial state" and invest ed in Research and Development (R&D) and in the 
institutional platforms that had been driving innovation and develop ing the knowledge economy. 
The Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act (IPR Act) of 
2008 had been  introduced to incentivize actors in the research -to-innovation value chain to improve 
their approaches in identifying and managing intellectual property for eventual commercial and social 
use, as well as their interface with the private sector and international partners in these aspects. 
That Act - inspired, in part, by the United States Bayh -Dole Act of 1980 and the United Kingdom 
Patent Law in 1978 - together with the establishment of the Technology Innovation Agency to 
address funding gaps, supported the development of innovation enablers, such as technology 
incubators and science parks.  
10. Members did not eng age in a discussion of the presentations that had been made.  
11. The representative of Chad, on behalf of the LDC Group , underscored the critical role 
technology play ed in increasing productivity and output, and to diversify economies to better 
integrate into regional and global value chains and level up their development. He also noted that, 
in the context of the COVID -19 pandemic, countries that were technologically equipped were best 
prepared to deal with the pandemic -related challenges. Against th at backgro und, the LDC Group 
sought an effective implementation of Article 66.2 of the Agreement on TRIPS and urged Members 
to engage in the TRIPS Council on this issue which , he stated, was of priority interest to the LDCs. 
The Delegation of Mali echoed the stateme nt made by Chad.  
C. ANY POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATIONS ON STEPS THAT MIGHT BE TAKEN WITHIN THE 
MANDATE OF THE WTO TO INCREASE FLOWS OF TECHNOLOGY TO DEVELOPING 
COUNTRIES  
12. Under the agenda item on possible recommendations that the Working Group could make in 
the future, no Member asked for the floor. Hence, no substantive discussion took place.  
13. The Chairperson  reiterated the importance of a formal submission by the proponents of a 
submission made in 2008 by India, Pakistan and the Philippines entitled "Facilit ating Access to WT/WGTTT/M/63  
 
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  Information on Appropriate Technology Sourcing – A Step to Increase Flows of Technology to 
Developing Countries". The proponents had previously informed the Chair person  that they were still 
in the process of revising their submission and that they intended to table it in the near future.  
D. OTHER BUSINESS  
14. No matter was raised under "Other Business".  
15. The meeting was adjourned . 
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