BSS, Dhaka
Country’s eminent economist Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya on Saturday said that Bangladesh should launch an intense negotiation with the members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to secure benefits of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) even after the country's economic graduation in 2026.
The WTO General Council will discuss the issue of extension of the TRIPS benefit for the least developed countries (LDCs) and the graduated LDCs in a meeting in Geneva on
July 26-27. “Bangladesh – in view of the upcoming General Council meeting - needs to mount a robust negotiating effort and demonstrate necessary political initiative," said Bhattacharya, also a former Bangladesh ambassador to WTO. He spoke at a virtual discussion with journalists Saturday.
If Bangladesh cannot make good progress in securing the TRIPS facility in the upcoming meeting, the country will have to raise the issue in the next Ministerial Conference (MC) -12 to be held between November 30 and December 3 this year. “However, the run-up time up to the MC-12, the apex WRO meeting is also quite short,” said Bhattacharya, who is also a member of the UN Committee for Development Policy (CDP) and Distinguished Fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
So, Bangladesh should take strong political initiative and the Bangladeshi missions abroad in some influential destinations like Washington, Brussels, London, Paris and Tokyo should also play a very active roles in next few days up to next general council meeting so that the country can secure support in favour TRIPS extension after 2026 and beyond.
The noted economist also said Bangladesh has to get out of its approach to design and focus on the strategy to make the transition from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) category by 2026.
The economist strongly suggested actively embedding Intellectual Property (IP) right issues in the country’s LDC transition strategy by looking beyond Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) pharmaceuticals.
“The most neglected area in this case is the concerns of intellectual property rights,” said Dr Bhattacharya. “Available IPR expertise in Bangladesh is possibly least mobilised in the context of articulating LDC Transition Strategy for the country.”
He also said no IPR issue beyond TRIPS Pharma Waiver attracts attention.
“LDC discourse in Bangladesh does not usually take note of the flexibility allowed under TRIPS Article 66.1, rather its attention is exclusively focused on certain exemptions extended to LDCs with respect to pharmaceutical products,” he continued.
It is to be noted that WTO members agreed to extend the deadline for LDCs to protect intellectual property under WTO’s TRIPS Agreement until July 1, 2034. Members reached consensus on a 13-year extension of the current transition period, which was to expire on 1 July 2021, at a formal meeting of the TRIPS Council last month.
