General Statement by India at the 22^nd Session of the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) [19-23 November 2018] delivered by Sh. Animesh Choudhury, First Secretary. [19^th of November 2018, WIPO HQ, Geneva]

Mr. Chair,

At the outset, India would like to align itself with the statement delivered by Indonesia on behalf of the Asia-Pacific Group.

2. The delegation of India is positive that under your able leadership and guidance, this session will make the desired progress on issues of vital importance to all member states.

Mr. Chair,

3. The delegation of India looks forward to the discussions on the progress reports for the CDIP approved projects, the evaluation report of the project on IP and socio-economic development and the other prepared documents. On document CDIP/22/13 regarding the contribution of the relevant WIPO bodies to the implementation of the respective Development Agenda Recommendations, we note that only contribution of the IGC have been mentioned in the document with no references from any other WIPO body. This is not a very healthy trend, as we strongly believe that every other body of WIPO has a responsibility to contribute in this area.

4. We strongly believe that for a balanced and effective international IP system, it is imperative that we take a holistic view of its impact. We need to factor in both the benefits of IP with respect to fostering innovation as well as the costs it entails on the ability of developing countries and LDCs in meeting their socio-economic developmental concerns.

Mr Chair,

5. In the context of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, India would like to emphasize that the Sustainable Development Goals are universal, integral and indivisible in character. Hence, each and every SDG is fully relevant to the scope of WIPO’s activities.

Mr. Chair,

6. India is positive that the discussions on WIPO Technical Assistance in the area of Cooperation for Development would bring uniformity, better organization and clarity to existing processes and practices. We need to ensure that there is no duplication in this area.

7. On the subject of internal coordination and external collaboration and cooperation in the document CDIP/22/11, we appreciate the factual account of the current status of cooperation and coordination. However, it is essential to identify new proposals in this field to take the process forward.

8. We look forward to constructive and positive discussions on the proposal of the African Group concerning the biennial organization of an International Conference on Intellectual Property and Development. This is a forward looking proposal pending for a long time and merits attention of this Committee.

9. We look forward to the discussions under the Agenda Item Intellectual Property and Development, particularly the presentations and discussions on the theme ‘Women and IP’.

Mr. Chair,

10. The discussion on transfer of technology in this Committee is very important. The issue remains under discussion since decades without any concrete headway. Hence there is a need to discuss this subject with an action-oriented approach in the CDIP.

Mr. Chair,

11. India looks to forward to engaging productively and constructively in the discussions during the 22^nd Session of the CDIP.

Thank You.