The event was organized by the WTO Secretariat, in close collaboration with the secretariats of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), following up on the joint work on the second edition of the WHO-WIPO-WTO Study: Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation: Intersections between Public Health, Intellectual Property and Trade.

The WTO financed the participation in the event of 28 senior government officials working in the health, intellectual property and trade authorities of: Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Ukraine. The group also included self-financed participants from: China; Hong Kong, China; Singapore; Switzerland; and the United States.

The programme covered multi-disciplinary policy dimensions at the crossroads of public health, intellectual property and trade. It included substantive discussions on the Ministerial Declaration on the WTO Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Preparedness for Future Pandemics and the Ministerial Decision on the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, which were both adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference in June. 

The workshop included sessions led by 28 speakers from international organizations, the private sector and civil society, two interactive panels with experts and a session on anti-microbial resistance. Participants also engaged in a group exercise about stakeholders, advocacy, politics and coherent policies and made a field visit to a medical devices manufacturer near Lausanne, Switzerland. The participants from Argentina, Chile, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and the United States made presentations on their practical experiences during the pandemic. 

The overall objective of the workshop was to promote a holistic analysis of preparing for and responding to pandemics to help participants make practical and effective choices in one of the most complex policy environments. The next Geneva-based Workshop on Trade and Public Health will take place during the third quarter of 2023. Activities at the regional and national levels can be requested from the WTO Secretariat or via the WHO-WIPO-WTO COVID-19 Technical Assistance  Platform.