WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONIP/C/W/407/Add.3
20 November 2003
(03-6205)
Council for Trade-Related Aspects
of Intellectual Property RightsOriginal:  English
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES:  INFORMATION FROM
OTHER INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE PROTECTION
OF NEW VARIETIES OF PLANTS (UPOV)
Addendum
The following communication, dated 5 November 2003, has been received from the Office of
the Union.
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TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION
FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW VARIETIES OF PLANTS (UPOV)
FOR THE BENEFIT OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
I. INTRODUCTION
1. The inclusion of Article 27.3(b) in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual
Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) has strongly en couraged a large number of developing countries
to enact plant variety legislation.  Consequently, the membership of UPOV has expanded worldwide,
with many new members from developing countries and countries in transition to a market economy.
As of 15 October 2003, the number of UPOV members reached 53.  Moreover, 17 countries and tworegional intergovernmental organizations
1 have initiated with the Council of UPOV the procedure for
becoming members of the Union.  There are also 52 other countries2, which have been in contact with
the Office of the Union with a view to developing legislation in line with the UPOV Convention.
Information available to the Office of the Union suggests that the number of States likely to have laws
based on the UPOV Convention in the near term may exceed 100.
                                                     
1 Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, Egypt, Georgia, Honduras, Iceland, India, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania,
Morocco, Serbia and Montenegro, Tajikistan, The former  Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Venezuela, Viet
Nam, Zimbabwe, as well as the European Community and the African Intellectual Property Organization(Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea,Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo (16)).
2 Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Burundi, Cambodia, Congo (Democratic Republic of),
Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Fiji, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana,
Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Jamaica, Kingdom of Bahrain, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon,
Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines,Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan,Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Zambia.IP/C/W/407/Add.3
Page 2
2. Accordingly, there has been an increase in  the number of requests received from developing
countries and countries in transition to a market economy for legal and technical assistance in the
preparation and implementation of plant variety protection legislation.  In light of their emerging
needs, UPOV places great importance on legal and technical assistance activities subject to available
financial and human resources.  In the UPOV Programme and Budget for 2002/2003, the Council ofUPOV approved sub-programme UV.02 with the following objectives:
• To maintain and improve the quality of protection provided by the UPOV system.
• To provide and develop the legal and technical basis for international cooperation in a
harmonized approach to plant variety protection according to the 1991 Act of theUPOV Convention.
3. There is a demand-driven need to assist Contracting Parties that have acceded to the Union in
the more recent past, in the implementation of their UPOV-based system of plant variety protection.The aim is to enable them to fully enjoy the benefits and economic incentives the system is able to
generate.  UPOV, as the leading institution in all matters of plant variety protection, has the obligation
to provide assistance and advice.  For this purpose, in the UPOV Programme and Budget for
2002/2003, the Council of UPOV also approved sub-programme UV.03 with the following
objectives:
• To assist governments in implementing effective plant variety rights systems.
• To assist governments, particularly governments of developing countries and countries in
transition to a market economy, in the preparation and enactment of legislationconforming with the 1991 Act of the UPOV Convention.
4. The demand for assistance and training has increased.  UPOV has organized several
assistance activities, some of them in cooperation with UPOV members and other international
organizations, particularly the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).  They have been
carried out for the benefit of developing countries as well as other countries, since the policy is that
assistance should be provided where it is most needed to implement plant variety protectioneffectively.
II. PROVISION OF LEGISLATIVE AND TECHNICAL ADVICE AND INFORMATION
5. UPOV provided advice to States on plant variety protection laws, commented on draft texts
and, on request, assisted in preparing drafts of national laws and regulations.  During recent years, ithas provided assistance or advice on these matters to numerous developing countries.
6. From 1 January 2002, to 15 October 2003, the Office of the Union provided information,
advice or assistance and, in some cases, organized advisory missions, to the following States:
Africa/Arabic
CountriesAsia/Pacific Latin America/
CaribbeanCountries in
Transition to a
Market Economy
Algeria Bangladesh Argentina Albania
Angola Cambodia Barbados Armenia
Burundi China Belize Azerbaijan
Cameroon Fiji Bolivia Belarus
Congo (DemocraticRepublic of the)India Brazil Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Côte d'Ivoire Indonesia Colombia BulgariaIP/C/W/407/Add.3
Page 3
Africa/Arabic
CountriesAsia/Pacific Latin America/
CaribbeanCountries in
Transition to a
Market Economy
Egypt Iran (Islamic Republic
of)Costa Rica Croatia
Ethiopia Lao People's
Democratic RepublicEl Salvador Czech Republic
Ghana Malaysia Honduras Estonia
Guinea-Bissau Mongolia Jamaica Georgia
Jordan Myanmar Mexico Hungary
Kenya Pakistan Nicaragua Kazakhstan
Lebanon Philippines Panama Kyrgyzstan
Malawi Singapore Peru Latvia
Mauritius Sri Lanka Suriname Lithuania
Mozambique Thailand Uruguay Poland
Nigeria Turkey Venezuela Republic of Moldova
Saudi Arabia Viet Nam Romania
Senegal Russian Federation
South Africa Serbia and Montenegro
Sudan Slovakia
Tunisia Slovenia
Uganda Tajikistan
Yemen The former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia
Zimbabwe Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
III. SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS, SYMPOSIA, TRAINING COURSES
7. The Office of the Union organized and cooper ated in the organization of national seminars
and symposia on plant variety protection (see Annex).  Where extra-budgetary resources have been
made available, UPOV has organized international seminars and extended courses for developing
countries on subjects related to plant variety protection.
8. UPOV also provided speakers and lecturers for seminars, symposia and workshops organized
by other organizations or governments to assist with national efforts in the preparation and
implementation of plant variety protection legislation and to promote international understanding of
plant variety protection.
9. Members of UPOV continued to cooperate with  the Office of the Union in the organization of
on-the-job training for individuals or courses for groups.
[Annex follows]IP/C/W/407/Add.3
Page 4ANNEX
Seminars, Workshops, Symposia, and Training  Courses Organized or Supported by UPOV
from 1 January, 2002, to 15 October, 2003
Date Venue Co-organizers, sponsors Activities Participants
(a) Meetings organized/co-organized by UPOV
2002
18 February to 1 March New Delhi,
Cuttak,
Hyderabad,
Pune, IndiaGovernment of India
Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries of JapanNational Seminars on the Protection of
Plant Varieties under the
UPOV Convention, held in IndiaOfficials, scientists and
breeders in India
20 to 22 May Port of Spain,
Trinidad andTobagoMinistry of Legal Affairs of
Trinidad and TobagoRegional Seminar on the Protection of
New Varieties of Plants Under theUPOV ConventionOfficials from the
government and judicialsector, researchers, plant
breeders, representatives
from Antigua and Barbuda,
Dominica, Grenada, Haiti,
Jamaica, St. Kitts andNevis, other countries in
the Caribbean Region
10 and 11 June Tepic, Mexico University of Colima,
Autonomous University of
Nayarit, Technological Institute
of TepicFifth Workshop on Intellectual Property
Rights:  Plant Breeders' Rights, Teaching,
Research, Commercialization and Legal
ProtectionOfficials, breeders and
lawyers in Mexico
12 and 13 June Yalta,
UkraineWorld Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO)
State Department of Intellectual
Property, Ministry of Education
and Science of Ukraine,
Autonomous Republic ofCrimeaNational Seminar on Intellectual Property
Protection in BiotechnologyOfficials, scientists,
breeders and lawyers in
UkraineIP/C/W/407/Add.3
Page 5Date Venue Co-organizers, sponsors Activities Participants
12 to 14 June Texcoco,
MexicoNational Service for Seed
Certification and Inspection
(SNICS)Workshop on Data Handling Experts from Bolivia, Costa
Rica, Guatemala, Kenya,
Mexico, Nicaragua
14 June Kyiv,
UkraineState Service for Plant Varieties
Rights Protection of UkraineNational Workshop on Plant Variety
ProtectionOfficials, scientists,
breeders and lawyers in
Ukraine
2 to 5 July Seoul,
Republic of
KoreaMinistry of Agriculture and
Forestry of the Republic of
Korea,Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries of JapanThird Asian Regional Technical Meeting
for Plant Variety ProtectionOfficials from Bangladesh,
Cambodia, China, India,
Indonesia, Lao People'sDemocratic Republic,
Malaysia, Myanmar,
Pakistan, the Philippines,
Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Viet Nam
8 to 10 July Suva, Fiji Ministry of Agriculture, Sugar
and Land Resettlement of the
Government of FijiNational Seminar on the Protection of
New Varieties of Plants under the UPOV
ConventionOfficials, breeders and
lawyers in Fiji
10 and 11 September Yerevan,
ArmeniaSelection Achievement Tests,
Protection and Seed Quality
Checking Center of ArmeniaNational Seminar on Plant Variety
Protection and Plant Breeders' Rights
under the UPOV ConventionOfficials, plant breeders,
scientists in Armenia
13 and 14 September Tashkent,
UzbekistanState Patent Office of
UzbekistanNational Seminar on Plant Variety
Protection and Plant Breeders' Rightsunder the UPOV ConventionOfficials, plant breeders,
scientists in Uzbekistan
1 and 2 October Guatemala Secretaria de Integración
Económica Centroamericana
(SIECA)
United States Agency forInternational Development
(USAID)Seminar on the Protection of Forms of
LifeOfficials from Costa Rica,
El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras and Nicaragua
and scientists fromGuatemalaIP/C/W/407/Add.3
Page 6Date Venue Co-organizers, sponsors Activities Participants
2 and 3 October Phnom Penh,
CambodiaGovernment of the Kingdom of
Cambodia
Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries of JapanNational Briefing Seminar on Plant
Variety ProtectionOfficials and breeders in
Cambodia
20 and 21 November Ho Chi Minh
City, Viet NamMinistry of Agriculture and
Rural Development of Viet Nam
Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries of JapanNational Seminar on the Protection of
New Varieties of Plants under the
UPOV ConventionOfficials, patent attorneys
and breeders in Viet Nam
17 and 18 December Khartoum,
SudanArab Organization for
Agricultural Development
(AOAD)National Seminar on Intellectual Property
in the Field of AgricultureOfficials and scientists in
Sudan
2003
19 February Geneva,
SwitzerlandState Agency of Science and
Intellectual Property of the
Kyrgyz RepublicBriefing session for a delegation of the
Kyrgyz RepublicOfficials of the
Government of the Kyrgyz
Republic
10 to 14 March Manila,
PhilippinesMinistry of Agriculture of the
Philippines
Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries of JapanFourth Asian Regional Technical Meeting
for Plant Variety ProtectionOfficials from Bangladesh,
Cambodia, China, India,
Indonesia, Lao People's
Democratic Republic,Malaysia, Mongolia,
Myanmar, Nepal,
Sri Lanka, Thailand and
Viet Nam
17 and 18 March Phnom Penh,
CambodiaMinistry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries of
Cambodia
Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries of JapanNational Seminar on the Protection of
New Plant Varieties Under the
UPOV ConventionOfficials, breeders and
scientists in CambodiaIP/C/W/407/Add.3
Page 7Date Venue Co-organizers, sponsors Activities Participants
18 March Geneva,
SwitzerlandWIPO
Government of SudanLecture on Plant Variety Protection Officials of the
Government of Sudan
20 and 21 March Yangon,
MyanmarMinistry of Agriculture and
Irrigation of the Union of
Myanmar
Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries of JapanNational Seminar on the Protection of
New Varieties of Plants Under the
UPOV ConventionOfficials, researchers and
breeders in Myanmar
27 and 28 May Lima, Peru National Institute for the
Defense of Competition and
Intellectual Property Protection
(INDECOPI) of PeruNational Seminar on Plant Breeders'
RightsOfficials, patent attorneys,
representatives of the seed
industry and experts from
the national research
centres and universities in
Peru
16 to 20 June Geneva, Bern
(Switzerland),
Angers
(France),
Wageningen(Netherlands)Plant Variety Protection Offices
of  Switzerland, France,
Netherlands, and Community
Plant Variety Office (CPVO)Study tour to the Office of the Union and
to the Plant Variety Protection Offices of
Switzerland, France, Netherlands as well
as of the European CommunityOfficials from Cambodia,
Lao People's Democratic
Republic, Myanmar,
Singapore and Viet Nam
30 June to 11 July Madrid,
Valencia,
Seville, SpainOficina Española de Variedades
Vegetales (OEVV),
Instituto Nacional de
Investigación y Tecnología
Agraria y Alimentaira de España
(INIA),WIPOThird Training Programme for the
Protection of Varieties of Plants for Ibero-
American CountriesOfficials from Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile,
Colombia, Costa Rica,
Cuba, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras,Mexico, Nicaragua,
Panama, Paraguay, Peru,
Uruguay and Venezuela
4 July Geneva,
SwitzerlandWIPO Briefing session for a delegation of
TajikistanOfficials of the
Government of TajikistanIP/C/W/407/Add.3
Page 8Date Venue Co-organizers, sponsors Activities Participants
(b) Meetings for which UPOV provided speakers
2002
27 to 29 March Dakar, Senegal African Seed Trade Association
(AFSTA)Second Annual Conference Breeders and seed traders
in Africa
8 to 10 April Abidjan, Côte
d’IvoireWIPO
African Intellectual PropertyOrganization (OAPI)Regional Symposium on Intellectual
Property and the Protection ofExpressions of Folklore and Traditional
KnowledgeOfficials, breeders and
lawyers in Africa
15 April Bouaké, Côte
d’IvoireWest Africa Rice Development
Association (WARDA)WARDA Network Review and Planning
MeetingBreeders and researchers in
Africa
8 to 10 May Lusaka,
ZambiaWIPO,
Government of Zambia,
National Institute of Scientific
and Industrial Research of
ZambiaWIPO Regional Meeting on Intellectual
Property and the Protection of
Expressions of Folklore and Traditional
KnowledgeOfficials, scientists,
breeders and lawyers in
Africa
13 May Munich,
GermanyEuropean Patent Office (EPO) EPO Briefing Seminar Officials from the
Philippines and Thailand
20 and 21 May Belgrade and
Lake Palic,YugoslaviaFederal Ministry of Economy
and Internal Trade ofYugoslavia, Plant Variety
Protection Office of the
US Department of AgricultureSymposium and Workshop entitled "Plant
Variety Protection in the Federal Republicof Yugoslavia"Officials, breeders and
lawyers in Yugoslavia
11 June Wageningen,
NetherlandsPlant Research International
(PRI)PRI: Sixth Course on Plant Variety
ProtectionExperts from Chile, China,
Cyprus, Hungary, India,Indonesia, Iran, Israel,
Republic of Korea, South
Africa, Sudan and ThailandIP/C/W/407/Add.3
Page 9Date Venue Co-organizers, sponsors Activities Participants
26 June Rome, Italy University of Rome-Tor Vergata,
FAOPublic Agriculture Research: the Impact
of IPRs on Biotechno logy in Developing
CountriesOfficials and scientists
30 June Ulaanbaatar,
MongoliaUnited Nations University/
Institute of Advanced Studies
(UNU/IAS)In Search of Biosecurity: Best Practices,
Awareness Raising & Capacity Building
on Access to Genetic Resources,
Benefit-Sharing and Biosafety in Central
Asian Countries and MongoliaOfficials, scientists and
breeders in Mongolia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
1 to 3 July Santa Cruz de
la Sierra,
BoliviaLatin-American Federation of
Seed Associations and the
Regional Seed Office of Santa
Cruz de la SierraXVIII Pan-American Seed Seminar on
"Transgenic Varieties:  The Future"Officials, breeders and
lawyers in Latin America
1 to 5 July Egoryevskay,
RussianFederationState Commission of the
Russian Federation  forSelection Achievements, Test
and Protection,
International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Center
(CIMMYT)German Corporation for
International Cooperation
(GTZ)International Seminar "Cereal Varieties
Testing on Their Distinction, Uniformityand Stability"Officials, scientists and
breeders from Russia andfour Central Asian
countries
4 to 6 September Tsukuba,
JapanJapan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA)
Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries of JapanTraining Course on Plant Variety
ProtectionOfficials from Bolivia,
China, India, Indonesia,
Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan,
the Philippines, Thailand,Viet Nam
9 to 11 September Manaus, Brazil National Institute of Industrial
Property and the European
CommissionInternational Seminar on the Role of
Intellectual Property Protection in the
Field of Biodiversity and Traditional
KnowledgeOfficials, scientists and
environmentalists in Latin
AmericaIP/C/W/407/Add.3
Page 10Date Venue Co-organizers, sponsors Activities Participants
5 to 7 November Abuja, Nigeria Centre régional africain de
technologie (CRAT)Sub-regional Workshop on the Use of the
Intellectual Property System for the
Promotion of Innovation and TechnologyTransfer for Agriculture and Food
Production in West AfricaOfficials of seven West
African countries
18 to 21 November Ho Chi Minh
City, Viet NamAsia and Pacific Seed
Association (APSA)Asian Seed 2002 Breeders and seed traders
2003
6 and 7 February Tunis, Tunisia WIPO,
Government of TunisiaWIPO/UPOV Advisory Mission Officials of the
Government of Tunisia
6 and 7 March Moscow,
Russian
FederationMinistry of Agriculture of the
Russian FederationConference/Seminar "Results of the State
Commission of the Russian Federation for
Selection Achievements Test andProtection"Members of the Parliament,
officials, breeders and
scientists in the RussianFederation
29 and 30 April Almaty,
KazakhstanWIPO,
Committee for Intellectual
Property Rights, Ministry of
Justice of the Republic ofKazakhstanSub-Regional Seminar on Biotechnology
and Intellectual PropertyOfficials from Central
Asian countries
6 June Geneva,
SwitzerlandWIPO Interregional Intermediate Seminar on
Industrial Property70 officials from
developing countries
9 to 20 June Wageningen,
NetherlandsCentre for Genetic Resources of
the NetherlandsTraining course on Plant Variety
ProtectionOfficials from developing
countries
26 July to 2 August Cameroon,
SenegalOrganisation Africaine de la
Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI)
and the French Groupe d’étude
et de contrôle des variétés et des
semences (GEVES)Advisory Mission to OAPI for the
establishment of a Regional System for
Plant VarietyOfficials of OAPIIP/C/W/407/Add.3
Page 11Date Venue Co-organizers, sponsors Activities Participants
29 August to 12 September Tsukuba,
JapanJapan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA)
Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries of JapanTraining Course on Plant Variety
ProtectionOfficials from Bangladesh,
Bolivia, China, Indonesia,
Kenya, Malaysia,
Mauritius, Philippines,Thailand, Viet Nam
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