The Global Access in Action Approach

Photo credit: Water.org

Global Access in Action believes that current IP systems can be better used to impact global poverty. We are in a new landscape of IP in key fields of technology that impact the poor: in energy, agriculture, health, and information & communication technologies. We also increasingly need to leverage the resources of the private sector to access, develop, and deploy technologies for the poor.

This requires putting in place new strategies for managing IP. Global Access in Action believes that incentives can be aligned for public and private sector partners working to get better technology to the poor; licensing IP for applications to benefit the poor can be achieved without compromising core commercial markets of IP owners.

Global Access in Action acts as a steward of the experiences and expertise in this field, sharing global best practices in pro-poor IP management, advocating for changes in how IP is used, and promoting practical IP management solutions that integrate the constraints of private sector partners, while also serving the needs of the poor.

Many of our partners have a long history of licensing for humanitarian use and have direct experience of what works and what doesn’t. Our challenge is to translate this experience into widely available legal tools for Global Responsibility Licensing and Partnerships.

Global Access in Action is Different

Global Access in Action is unique among the many organizations that make up the landscape of technology for development.

• Practical Approach: Strikes the balance between commercial and humanitarian purposes, while supporting pro-poor imperatives. Works within the current IP system, seeking immediate impact from changing practices among intellectual asset owners. Recognizes the need for non-prescriptive, tailored solutions to IPR management built on a core set of principles.
• Independent: Whereas institutions and individuals often come to the issues of IP with conflicting incentives, Global Access in Action is always tightly focused on practical use of IP that supports the greatest impact on alleviating global poverty. Global Access in Action’s independence allows it to set standards and norms in a field where they are increasingly valuable.
• Resources to Reduce Transaction Costs: For the first time, Global Access in Action will bring together global best practices to provide a range of legal and other resources to catalyze and support better partnerships for impact.
• Private Sector Engagement: Global Access in Action is specifically designed to engage the private sector, leveraging powerful engines of technology and knowledge and working toward increasing involvement in technology transfer for development.
• Global Engagement: Global reach and engagement with key legal organizations WIPO, LES, WEF and the World Bank. Developing country and emerging market engagement is a high priority in development of North-South and South-South Partnerships and engaged organizations already include African Agricultural Technology Foundation (Kenya), Mahyco (India), and the Global Research Alliance.

Global Access in Action Structure

Global Access in Action operates under a high-level Board of Directors, drawn from the public, private, development, research and legal sectors and includes representation from developing and developed countries. This board oversees the operations of Global Access in Action and monitors programs supported by Global Access in Action.