The paper argues that the Uruguay Round has been impervious to the needs of the developing countries while securing the interests of the industrialised nations. This is particularly evident in the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement, which have negative consequences for the South Asian countries. There are also potential conflicts between the TRIPS patenting regime and agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Understanding being negotiated at the FAO. The paper maintains that the only way to fully ensure a fair deal for South Asian and other developing countries is to remove biodiversity from TRIPS altogether. Meanwhile as a way out it recommends keeping TRIPs as flexible as possible for the time being and working for its ultimate rejection.
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