On the sidelines of the World Trade Organisation’s 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi, a session titled ‘Climate Technology and Intellectual Property: A Repeat of the Access to Medicines Debate or Something New?’ was organised as a side event of the International Institute for Sustainable Development Trade and Sustainability Hub.
The session was co-organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center on 28 February 2024.
The session included experts on trade, climate and intellectual property. This session explored relevant lessons from access to medicines, analysed how intellectual property intersects with different climate technologies and proposed practical reforms to trade and intellectual property rules.
Dr Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director of CPD, spoke at the conference as a panelist and delved into the challenges posed by climate change. She highlighted Bangladesh’s extreme vulnerability to climate change, despite the country’s minimal contribution of just 0.4 per cent to global emissions. She emphasised that while adaptation technology holds paramount importance for Bangladesh, there are also endeavours underway to promote mitigation technology. However, financial barriers pose significant challenges to technological investment, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. She also emphasised on the availability of adequate finance and capacity development for the least developed countries.
