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Contents
> Director-General’s letter to journalists
> The Doha Development Agenda
> Agriculture
> Cotton
> Services
> Market access, non-agricultural products
> Intellectual property (TRIPS)
> Trade facilitation
> Rules: ad, scm including fisheries subsidies
> Rules: regional agreements
> Dispute settlement
> Trade and environment
> Small economies
> Trade, debt and finance
> Trade and technology transfer
> Technical cooperation
> Least-developed countries
> Special and differential treatment
> Implementation issues
> Electronic commerce
> Members and accessions
> Members
> Bananas
> Statistics, Textiles and Clothing
> Statistics, Facts and Figures
> Jargon buster, Country groupings
> Jargon buster, An informal guide to ‘WTOspeak’
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The Doha Declaration back to top
WTO ministers decided in Doha to establish a working
group to examine the issue, and also any possible recommendations on steps
that might be taken within the WTO to increase flows of technology.
The working
group reports to the General Council. The working group has examined a number
of studies by the Secretariat and by other institutions such as UNCTAD,
and also proposals from the members. In addition, members share successful
policies
and strategies that facilitated the transfer of technology.
Since then … back to top
A group of developing countries has suggested focusing
on WTO provisions related to technology transfer with a view to making them
operational and meaningful, as well as looking at the ones that have the effect
of hindering the flows. They also proposed the examination of restrictive
practices adopted by multinational enterprises in this sector. A group of
countries advocate that it is important to define the issues, measures and
channels for technology transfer to move the work forward. However, so far
there is no consensus on those matters.
In mid-2005 Cuba presented a list
of possible recommendations that should be presented to the General Council,
reiterating the importance of the discussions in the Working Group. Some
members believe there is still a lot of work before reaching a definition
of the linkage
between trade and transfer of technology, and therefore it is premature
to discuss possible recommendations. Moreover, developed countries have emphasized
the danger in coercing the private sector into giving away its technology.
Developed countries believe that this would reduce the appeal for foreign
direct investment. |
Other material:
> Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology
> Doha
declaration
> Doha declaration
explained
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