You are viewing our old site. See the new one here

ENB:09:47 [Next] . [Previous] . [Contents]

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

Another significant portion of bracketed text related to the transfer of technology. The GPA document (ITCPGR/95/5 - Rev 1) issued at the Conference, included a new Priority Activity entitled: "Developing Effective Mechanisms for Technology Transfer". This new bracketed section stated that its long term objective was to "help improve the capacity of national systems, facilitating and promoting their access to appropriate technologies for the conservation and sustainable utilization of genetic resources." In the Working Group on the GPA, FRANCE, supported by ITALY, TURKEY, CANADA, the US and AUSTRALIA, proposed that reference to technology transfer should be incorporated throughout the text rather than be represented as a separate section. COLOMBIA, supported by ETHIOPIA and BANGLADESH, urged that this new text should remain as a separate section. He underscored the importance that GRULAC countries had placed on the need for technology transfer and referred to the Bogota Declaration (Appendix F, CGRFA-EX2/96/REP) to signify their commitment to this issue. He emphasized that technology transfer needed separate consideration because genetic technologies were a new field and have a close connection with intellectual property rights. A contact group was established to resolve this issue.

After lengthy deliberations, the contact group reported that it had agreed to incorporate reference to technology transfer throughout the body of the GPA. Only one section of text, referring to the need to promote institutional links among national institutions and entities specializing in technology transfer under mutually agreed terms, as defined under Article 16 of the CBD, remained unresolved. In the final Plenary the reference to the CBD was replaced with actual text from Article 16.2, which reads: "under fair and most favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed to" and added "by all parties to the transaction." This final formulation was adopted.