Bolivian government calls for Open Source Appropriate Technology

The following text on development in the context of climate change, by Evo Morales, president of Bolivia, contains 20 proposals, three of which are an undisguised call for the development of open and shared designs for appropriate technology. This is a great step forward towards peer to peer policy formulation.

Evo Morales on technology transfer to developing countries:

“13) Innovation and technology related to climate changes must be within the public domain, not under any private monopolistic patent regime that obstructs and makes technology transfer more expensive to developing countries.

14) Products that are the fruit of public financing for technology innovation and development of have to be placed within the public domain and not under a private regime of patents, so that they can be freely accessed by developing countries.

15) Encourage and improve the system of voluntary and compulsory licenses so that all countries can access products already patented quickly and free of cost. Developed countries cannot treat patents and intellectual property rights as something “sacred” that has to be preserved at any cost. The regime of flexibilities available for the intellectual property rights in the cases of serious problems for public health has to be adapted and substantially enlarged to heal Mother Earth.

16) Recover and promote indigenous peoples’ practices in harmony with nature which have proven to be sustainable through centuries.”