WHO, WIPO and WTO to Hold 13th Joint Technical Symposium in Geneva on Promoting Local Health Products Manufacturing Through Trade, IP and AI

The World Health Organization (WHO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) will hold the 13th Joint Technical Symposium on Enabling Ecosystems for Local and Regional Health Products Manufacturing: Considering the Role of Trade, IP, AI and Digital Innovation on 25 November 2026, hosted by WHO at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG). The deadline for registration is 23 November 2026.

·         Joint Symposium: The World Health Organization (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and World Trade Organization (WTO) will jointly organise the 13th Joint Technical Symposium on 25 November 2026 in Geneva.

·         Theme: The symposium will focus on “Enabling Ecosystems for Local and Regional Health Products Manufacturing: Considering the Role of Trade, IP, AI and Digital Innovation.”

·         Promoting Local Manufacturing: The initiative aims to strengthen local and regional production of quality-assured, safe, effective and affordable health products while improving supply-chain security and resilience.

·         Trade and Intellectual Property: Discussions will examine how appropriate trade policies and intellectual property (IP) frameworks can support innovation, investment and the development of local manufacturing capacities.

·         Demand and Investment Challenges: Participants will explore demand-side challenges, sustainable investment requirements and ways to make local and regional health manufacturing commercially viable.

·         Technology Transfer and Regional Cooperation: The symposium will highlight the importance of technology transfer, regional integration, stakeholder partnerships and access to international markets.

·         Role of AI and Digital Innovation: Discussions will examine the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence, digital health and emerging technologies in strengthening innovation and manufacturing capabilities.

·         Three Thematic Sessions: The programme will include discussions on:

·         Strengthening local and regional health innovation and manufacturing.

·         Role of IP frameworks, AI and digital technologies in promoting innovation.

·         Trade as an enabler of local manufacturing and resilient supply chains.

·         Participation: The event will be opened by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WIPO Director-General Daren Tang and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

·         Date and Registration: The symposium will take place at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG), with virtual participation available on request. Registration is open until 23 November 2026.

 

[ABS News Service/02.11.2026]

Local and regional production can, under appropriate conditions, contribute to sustainable access to quality-assured, safe, effective, and affordable health technologies, more secure and resilient supply chains, and innovation. Realizing these benefits depends on a broader enabling ecosystem, including effective health regulatory systems, sustainable investment, absorptive capacity, coherent trade and intellectual property (IP) laws and policies, collaboration among relevant stakeholders, and access to regional and global markets. Drawing on their complementary expertise, the three collaborating organizations aim to foster dialogue on the health, IP, and trade policies that can support such enabling ecosystems.

The Symposium will consider:

  1. The conditions needed to build enabling ecosystems for local and regional health products manufacturing, including health systems, IP frameworks, and trade policies.
  2. The demand-side challenges that need to be addressed to make local and regional health products manufacturing commercially viable.
  3. The roles different stakeholders can play in developing and sustaining resilient health ecosystems, including through cooperation, regional integration, partnerships, technology transfer
  4. The lessons that can be drawn from national and regional experiences and initiatives, including the successes and challenges encountered by different stakeholders and how they have been addressed.
  5. The potential and challenges of new technologies, digital health, and artificial intelligence (AI) to contribute to building enabling environments to strengthen innovation and manufacturing capacities for health technologies.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Mr. Daren Tang, and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Directors-General of the WHO, WIPO, and WTO will open the event. This will be followed by a keynote address and three thematic panel discussions. The first panel will focus on strengthening local and regional health innovation and manufacturing through the integration of public health objectives in global, regional and domestic policies; the second panel will discuss how IP frameworks can enable ecosystems for innovation and local and regional manufacturing, including the potential and challenges of AI and digital technologies; and the third panel will explore trade as an enabler of local and regional manufacturing and robust supply chains.

Participation in the Symposium is open to the public. Online registration is open until 23 November 2026 through registering here. The Symposium will be held in person at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG), with virtual participation available on request. The Symposium will be held in English only.