The meeting on Monitoring the Impact of IP Protection on Public Health: Reviewing Progress takes place in the context of a joint project of the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank Institute (WBI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Beginning in 2006, the joint project developed a methodological framework for assessing the impact of TRIPS-Plus provisions contained in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) on the price of medicines. The objective is to offer guidance to governments (e.g., trade and health ministries), research institutes as well as civil society organizations, in empirically evaluating the effects of these new IP obligations. Such a methodology can serve several purposes, including: (i) strengthening the overall negotiating capacity of governments in FTA negotiations; (ii) identifying areas where flexibilities in negotiations on new IP standards may be warranted; and (iii) identifying areas where complementary policies may help alleviate possible adverse public health implications of TRIPS-plus standards.

The 2-day meeting will take stock of the Project and will be important in the further fine-tuning and development of the methodology and its applications in Costa Rica and Dominican Republic.