The WTO, in close collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), will hold its 6th annual Workshop on Trade and Public Health in Geneva from 11 to 15 November 2019.
The workshop will take a holistic approach to the interlinkages between trade and public health, building on similar workshops and activities organized by the WTO Secretariat since 2005. The event will follow the approach developed in the WHO-WIPO-WTO trilateral study, “Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation: Intersections Between Public health, Intellectual Property and Trade”.
The goal of the workshop is to build the capacity of policymakers – to equip them with the knowledge, tools and skills critical to analysing complex policy choices at the crossroads of trade, intellectual property and public health. The workshop will examine the role that multilateral trade agreements play as part of the wider action to meet increasingly urgent public health needs.
The programme this year covers: public health determinants; the intellectual property system; pricing and procurement policies; competition policy and rules; tariffs, quotas and licensing; health services; and regulatory issues, including approval, quality control and effectiveness of medicines, the protection of clinical trial data under the Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) Agreement and health-related measures in the framework of the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) committees.
Breakout sessions on topical issues such as anti-microbial resistance and the fast-evolving advances in the medical technology industry will take place throughout the week. Participants will also engage in exercises and case studies designed to examine key areas.
Requirements
Senior government officials who want to enhance their technical knowledge and policymaking expertise at the intersections of public health, intellectual property and trade are invited to apply.
Specifically, this workshop is designed for senior government officials who make, assess and implement trade and IP policy options that impact public health. Candidates must have established expertise and experience in their fields of work, a good level of knowledge of the WTO agreements and public health policy and all-round proficiency in English, the working language of the workshop.
Government officials from authorities responsible for trade, intellectual property, public health, foreign affairs or any other relevant authority in the interface between trade agreements and public health are welcome to apply.
Travel
The WTO Secretariat can fund a maximum of 30 participants. Provision will also be made for up to five self-funded participants.
Selected participants will receive confirmation directly. Relevant administrative information, travel details and economic-class ticket will be sent after the selection has taken place
For More Information: