IP/C/W/600  
 
19 August 2014  
(14-4782)  Page: 1/10  
Council for Trade-Related Aspects of 
Intellectual Property Rights    
 
  WTO SECRETARIAT TECHNICAL COOPERATION IN THE TRIPS AREA 
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT 
 
 
 
   
 
This document reports on the WTO Secretariat's technical cooperation activities concerning TRIPS undertaken between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014. It covers activities that specifically 
relate to intellectual property (IP) and the TRIPS Agreement, as well as contributions to other 
activities of a broader character which have a significant IP or TRIPS component. It follows the previous report to the Council for TRIPS contained in document IP/C/W/590, dated 5 August 2013. 
This cover note provides a general overview. Detail s of each activity are provided in the Annex. 
1  MAIN ORIENTATIONS, TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS 1.1.  The Secretariat's technical cooperation ac tivities in relation to the TRIPS Agreement 
continued to focus on assisting Members and Observers to understand the rights and obligations, 
including the available options, which flow from the TRIPS Agreement and relevant decisions of 
WTO bodies, in order to enable them to meet their developmental and other domestic policy 
objectives. These capacity building activities also aim to support Members to participate fully and 
substantively in the WTO's ongoing work on TRIPS matters, in particular building their capacity to 
assess what is at stake for them in issues under negotiation, examination or review. In addition, 
Members and Observers continued to receive assistance regarding notifications and reviews of 
national legislation.   
1.2.  Technical cooperation is driven essentially b y d e mand  from M e mb e rs , as  we l l as  c ou ntrie s 
that are preparing their accession to the WTO. The diversity of needs and interests identified by Members has led to increased tailoring and focusing of technical assistance activities on specific 
areas of interest or sectoral policy themes, in particular in national and regional workshops. At the 
same time, the Secretariat has adopted a more holistic approach to its capacity building activities in general, putting the TRIPS Agreement and its policy choices into a broader context. This 
approach takes into account the interface between the TRIPS Agreement and other WTO 
Agreements, such as agriculture and SPS. It requires closer collaboration between and participation of various divisions in the Secretariat with a view to offering participants solution-
oriented training activities that equally address all relevant dimensions. First experiences in the 
context of the TRIPS modules of the Advanced Trade Policy Courses held in Geneva have confirmed the positive appreciation of this new approach by participants. 
1.3.  The technical assistance programme continued to prioritize assistance to least developed 
country (LDC) Members, especially in the light of  identifying and responding to their individual 
needs so as to ensure that capacity building ac tivities are well coordinated and effective. The 
emphasis on the individual priori ty needs of LDCs was carried through in programme delivery and 
through close interagency coordination. This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own 
responsibility and without prejudice to the positions of Members 
and to their rights and obligations under the WTO. IP/C/W/600 
 
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  1.4.  Complementarity and cooperation with other intergovernmental organizations has been 
continuously ensured, especially through coordination with WIPO and the WHO in the field of IP and public health. Technical cooperation on TR IPS has been delivered through information and 
advice given to Members in Geneva, and through study programmes, training courses, seminars 
and workshops for developing countries in Geneva and elsewhere. 
2  SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS, TRAINING COURSES AND OTHER TECHNICAL COOPERATION 
ACTIVITIES 
2.1   In Geneva 
2.1.  Many broader WTO training courses, semi nars and workshops included a significant TRIPS 
component, such as the regular WTO Advanced Trade Policy Courses, the Introduction Courses for LDCs, the "Geneva Weeks" for Non-Residents, and other events held in Geneva. Two Advanced 
Trade Policy Courses held during the reporting period also included a visit to WIPO, enabling 
participants to learn about that Organization, its conventions and activities. In addition, the Secretariat organized a number of special study programmes for government officials. 
2.2.  The eleventh joint WIPO-WTO Colloquium for Teachers of Intellectual Property from 
Developing Countries formed part of the wider Se cretariat's approach towards cooperation with the 
academic community in developing countries aimed at local capacity building on WTO matters. The 
main objective of the Colloquium was to update university teachers of IP in developing countries 
and countries with economies in transition on the activities and instruments of the WIPO and the WTO with focus on important policy issues under negotiation or discussion in the two Organizations, and to set these issues in their wider legal and policy context. In addition to 
speakers from the two Secretariats and from  the WHO and the UPOV, several Geneva-based 
delegates as well as representatives from industry and NGOs shared views on certain topical issues under discussion or negotiation. Participating university teachers also made presentations on 
selected topics. The plans developed to build an active alumni network, and the development of 
the Colloquium papers as a quality academic journal
1, together ensure that this activity will have 
significant long-term impact, particularly in strengthening indigenous capacity both for teaching IP 
with an international and policy-rich perspective, and for critically analysing and assessing current 
IP policy issues. 
2.3.  The sixth joint WIPO-WTO Advanced Course on Intellectual Property continued to draw on 
the experience of the Colloquium, and applied a similar programme structure and pedagogic 
strategy, but was tailored and focused on govern ment officials and public sector policymakers 
instead of university teachers and researchers. The course also applied the notion of gradual and progressive learning: in order to qualify for the course, the candidates had to complete the WTO 
eTraining TRIPS Course or possess commensurate knowledge or professional experience. The 
course was thus able to work from a truly advanced baseline and thus explore cutting edge issues through interactive debate and practical case studies, so as to strengthen the capacity of 
government officials and policymakers to critically review policy options and their implications, and 
to learn from the wide range of practical experiences covered in the programme. 
2.4.  The ninth Workshop on Intellectual Property and Public Health was organized by the WTO 
Secretariat in close collaboration with the WHO and WIPO. This fruitful cooperation pulls together 
each organization's particular expertise in a complementary manner and thus usefully illustrates 
the need for a comprehensive approach. The workshop  can thus be seen as a direct follow-up to 
the three organizations' continuing efforts to further enhance their capacity building activities, 
based on the trilateral study on "Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation" 
launched in February 2013.2 The findings of the study often served as a starting point for 
presentations and discussions. The Workshop aime d at providing participants with a broad and 
comprehensive picture of legal and economic issues, as well as policy options that are directly 
                                               
1 Papers presented at the Colloquium of 2013 will be  compiled and published by WIPO and the WTO and 
will be available on-line as an edited volume, intend ed to provide a resource for researchers and analysts 
covering contemporary IP and TRIPS issues from the perspe ctive of a wide range of de veloping countries.  This 
will be the fourth volume in  a formal publication series.  
2 Available at: http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/pamtiwhowipowtoweb13_e.pdf ; 
http://www.wipo.int/policy/en/global_health/trilateral_cooperation.html ; 
http://www.who.int/phi/promoting _access_medical_innovation/en/ .  IP/C/W/600 
 
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  relevant to designing a domestic framework that is supportive of access to medicines and 
innovation in the health sector. The ninth in a series of workshops relating to this topic thus followed the approach adopted in recent years, i.e. to further broaden the range of topics covered in order to reflect the practical challenges of integrating and reconciling diverse policy areas linked 
to public health, including, but not limited to, IP (with a focus on patent and trademark law). The 
Workshop covered a range of subjects including th e additional flexibility agreed by WTO Members 
that allows for the grant of special compulsory licences to export medicines to countries that 
cannot manufacture the medicines themselves. Other TRIPS provisions and flexibilities directly 
relevant to public health and future needs were also examined. A particular emphasis was laid on procurement policies as a key element in securing access to medicines. Among the other issues covered were those related to licensing policies adopted by the private sector, the safety, efficacy 
and quality of medicines, the role of competition policy, and intellectual property rights provisions 
in regional or bilateral free trade agreements. Alongside speakers from the WTO, the WHO and 
WIPO, a wide range of other speakers shared their experiences and views, including 
representatives of UNCTAD, developed and developing country WTO members, the research and 
development industry and Médecins sans Fronti ères (Doctors without Borders). The programme 
thus offered a rounded view of the issues at the crossroad between intellectual property rights and 
public health. 
2.5.  Furthermore, the Secretariat held a Strate gic Planning Workshop on LDC Priority Needs for 
Technical and Financial Cooperation. This activity was designed as a brainstorming exercise to feed 
into the planning of the next phase of coordination and implementation of technical and financial 
cooperation to support the identification of pr iority needs to implement the TRIPS Agreement, 
where this has not yet been done, and to meet the outstanding priority needs where those have 
already been identified by a number of LDCs. To do so, it took, among others, account of the 
Factual Overview on technical & financial co-operation for LDCs related to the TRIPS Agreement 
that was presented in May 20133, and reviewed practical experiences regarding the coordination 
and delivery of appropriate capacity building, as well  as the practical implications of the Council for 
TRIPS Decision on the Extension of the Transition Period under Article 66.1 for LDC Members of 
June 2013.4 Among others, it reaffirmed the continuing needs of LDCs for technical and financial 
co-operation so that they can achieve their individual developmental and other domestic objectives within a balanced IP regime. The following topics took a prominent role in the 
discussions: (i) usefulness of needs assessments; (ii)  delivery of responses to individual priority 
needs; (iii) flow, accessibility and relevance of the information required to match priority needs with available resources and programmes; and (iv) establishment of a dedicated fund managed 
jointly by WTO and WIPO. The Workshop was part  of a continuing process of identifying and 
responding to priority needs in individual LDC Members to help them implement the TRIPS Agreement within their national intellectual prop erty systems and also responded to a specific 
request made by the LDC Group at the TRIPS Council meeting in June 2009.  
2.2   Outside Geneva 2.6.  In accordance with the WTO Biennial Technical Assistance and Training Plan 2014-2015, the 
WTO organized eight  national workshops devoted to IP matters, in Malawi (on the TRIPS 
Agreement and Priority Needs); Indonesia (on th e TRIPS Agreement and Public Health); Ethiopia 
(on the TRIPS Agreement); Qatar (on the TRIPS Agreement); Myanmar (on the TRIPS Agreement); El Salvador (on public policy issues related to the TRIPS Agreement); Mauritius (on 
the TRIPS Agreement and IP-related matters; and Seychelles (on the TRIPS Agreement). In line 
with the demand driven nature of technical assist ance, these activities responded to the specific 
needs identified and organized in co-operation with recipient countries. 
2.7.  Broader WTO technical assistance activities outside Geneva have included a significant TRIPS 
component. For example, the Secretariat contributed (in partnership with the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce of Tunis, Tunisia; the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade, Law, Policy and 
Services in Bridgetown, Barbados; and the University of Botswana) to WTO regional Trade Policy 
Courses with a significant IP component. 
                                               
3 Factual Overview on technical & financial co-opera tion for LDCs related to the TRIPS Agreement,  
available at http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/trips_e/ldc_overview_08.05.2013_full.pdf  
4 WTO Document IP/C/64 of 12 June 2013.  IP/C/W/600 
 
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  2.3   eTraining 
2.8.  A TRIPS module is included in WTO eTraining Courses, web-based courses for developing 
country and economies in transition WTO Members and Observers, that are provided in English, French and Spanish all-year-round. Participants have online access to course material, background 
documents, interactive sessions (chat, discussion forum and enquiry board). They are assisted 
throughout the course by a tutor, a course administrator and a helpdesk. In the invitations to workshops and other more advanced training acti vities on the TRIPS Agreement, the Secretariat 
has prioritised candidates having successfully completed the WTO TRIPS eTraining course. This 
module is being updated and converted into in teractive courses, using a learning-by-doing 
approach with an increased number of exercises, as well as featuring multimedia as a core element of the training material. 
3  COOPERATION WITH WIPO AND OTHE R INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS 
3.1.  Cooperation with WIPO continues as a key fe ature of technical cooperation in the TRIPS area, 
based on the 1995 cooperation agreement betwee n the two Organizations, and the WIPO-WTO 
Joint Initiative on Technical Cooperation for Least Developed Countries, launched in June 2001. In 
response to paragraph 4 of the 2005 Decision on th e Extension of the Transition Period for Least 
Developed Country Members
5, and based on the 1995 Cooperation Agreement as well as the 2001 
WIPO-WTO Joint Initiative, the two Organizations continued their close cooperation. 
3.2.  The WTO Secretariat's technical cooperation in the area of TRIPS includes co-operation with 
other intergovernmental organizations. In particular, the WHO, WIPO and WTO Secretariats have continued their trilateral cooperation with a view to fostering a better understanding of the linkage 
between public health, intellectual property and trade more generally and to enhance a mutually 
supportive implementation of the relevant policies in those areas. Among others, this also included jointly designing and carrying out a number of capaci ty building activities during the period under 
review. 
                                               
5 See above footnote 3. Paragraph 4 of the Decision  stated that "in order to  assist least developed 
country Members to draw up the information to be presented in accordance with paragraph 2 and with a view 
to making technical assistance and ca pacity building as effective and op erational as possible, the WTO shall 
seek to enhance its cooperation with the World Intellec tual Property Organization and with other relevant 
international organizations".   
  IP/C/W/600  
 
- 5 - ANNEX 
 
Technical Cooperation Activities in the TRIPS Area from 1 September 2013 to 31 August 2014 
 
Activity Date Location Brief Description Link to further details 
Introduction Course for LDCs 19 September 2013 Ge neva The Introduction Course, which includes a 
module on the TRIPS Ag reement, aims at the 
dissemination of general information about the WTO, its basic rules and disciplines and its functioning http://gtad.wto.org/project.aspx?prjCod
e=IC13/1  
 
27th Geneva Week for Non-Resident 
Members and Observers 11-15 November 2013 Geneva The Geneva Week for non-resident delegations, 
which includes a module on IP, aims at 
informing WTO Members and Observers who do 
not have permanent missions in Geneva about 
recent developments taking place at the WTO. 
Among others, the Secretariat used this 
opportunity to explain issues related to the 
acceptance of the Protocol Amending the TRIPS 
Agreement. http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/de
vel_e/genwk27_e.htm  
 
Ninth Workshop on Intellectual Property 
and Public Health  10-13 December 2013 Geneva The Worksh op on Intellectual Property and 
Public Health forms an integral part of the cooperation between the WHO, the WIPO and the WTO on issues arising at the crossroad between intellectual prop erty rights and public 
health. It equally covers all relevant dimensions, i.e. health, trade and IP aspects, 
with a view to guiding participants to achieve 
optimal results for public health while preserving the integrity of the IP system http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/ne
ws13_e/heal_10dec13_e.htm  
 
Advanced Trade Policy Course (sessions 
on TRIPS) 10-12 February 2014 Geneva The ATPC, which includes a module on IP, aims 
at developing participants' autonomy in 
conducting WTO-related work by: (i) 
encouraging critical thinking to explore the 
linkages between WTO rules and disciplines and 
countries' trade policies and interests in the 
multilateral trading system; and (ii) enhancing 
analytical and negotiatin g skills to engage in 
trade policy formulation and implementation, 
monitoring and surveill ance, WTO negotiations 
or dispute settlement http://gtad.wto.org/project.aspx?prjCod
e=ATPC14/1  
  
  IP/C/W/600  
 
- 6 - Activity Date Location Brief Description Link to further details 
Sixth WIPO-WTO Advanced Course on 
Intellectual Property for Government Officials 10-21 March 2014 Geneva The main obje ctive of the WIPO-WTO Advanced 
Course on Intellectual Property for Government Officials is to update government officials on 
the activities and instruments of WIPO and the 
WTO, and to provide a forum for them to exchange information and ideas with the two Secretariats and with a range of policymakers and organizations based in Geneva http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/de
vel_e/train_e/activity_sheets_2014_e/tc
14_7_e.pdf  
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/ne
ws14_e/tra_10mar14_e.htm  
28th Geneva Week for Non-Resident 
Members and Observers 5-9 May 2014 Geneva The Geneva Week for non-resident delegations, 
which includes a module on IP, aims at 
informing WTO Members and Observers who do 
not have permanent missions in Geneva about 
recent developments taking place at the WTO. 
Among others, the Secretariat used this 
opportunity to explain issues related to the 
acceptance of the Protocol Amending the TRIPS 
Agreement. http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/de
vel_e/genwk28_e.htm 
 
Introduction Course for LDCs 14 May 2014 Geneva  The Introduction Course, which includes a 
module on the TRIPS Ag reement, aims at the 
dissemination of general information about the WTO, its basic rules and disciplines and its functioning http://gtad.wto.org/project.aspx?prjCod
e=IC14/1 
WTO Strategic Planning Workshop on 
LDC Priority Needs for Technical and 
Financial Cooperation 12-13 June 2014 Geneva The purpose of this activity was to provide the 
participants with an improved understanding 
(i)  of how to formul ate and address their 
country's priority needs for technical and 
financial cooperation; (ii) and of the partners 
available to assist them in responding to their 
individual needs http://gtad.wto.org/project.aspx?prjCod
e=WTO14/1  
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tri
ps_e/ldc_e.htm  
11th WIPO-WTO Colloquium for Teachers 
of Intellectual Property from Developing Countries 16-27 June 2014 Geneva The aim of the WIPO-WTO Colloquium is to help 
teachers of IP from developing countries 
become more aware of the Geneva institutions, negotiations and other activities dealing with intellectual property law and policy, and to strengthen their countries’ independent research, policy analysis and teaching in international intellectual property law and economics with its diverse policy contexts http://gtad.wto.org/project.aspx?prjCod
e=WTO14/2  
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tri
ps_e/colloquium_main_e.htm  
  
  IP/C/W/600  
 
- 7 - Activity Date Location Brief Description Link to further details 
Advanced Trade Policy Course (sessions 
on TRIPS) 23-26 June 2014 Geneva The ATPC, which includes a module on IP, aims 
at developing participants' autonomy in 
conducting WTO-related work by: (i) 
encouraging critical thinking to explore the 
linkages between WTO rules and disciplines and 
countries' trade policies and interests in the 
multilateral trading system; and (ii) enhancing 
analytical and negotiatin g skills to engage in 
trade policy formulation and implementation, 
monitoring and surveill ance, WTO negotiations 
or dispute settlement 
 http://gtad.wto.org/project.aspx?prjCod
e=ATPC14/2 
WTO National Seminar on the TRIPS 
Agreement and Assessment of Priority Needs 22-23 October 2013 Salima, 
Malawi The purpose of this activity was to provide the 
participants with an improved understanding (i) of the TRIPS Agreement; (ii) of important policy issues in the area of IP under negotiation/consideration in the WTO; (iii) and the LDCs’ special needs in IP   
WTO National Workshop on Intellectual 
Property and Public Health 11-12 November 2013 Bandung, 
Indonesia The purpose of this activity was to provide the 
participants with (i) an improved understanding 
of the IP regime as it relates to public health; 
(ii) an improved understanding of the 
Paragraph 6 System ; (iii) and an improved 
capability to assess the implications of and 
effectively use the flexibilities in the IP system 
in the national context  
WTO National Workshop on the TRIPS 
Agreement 12-13 November 2013 Addis Ababa, 
Ethiopia The purpose of this activity was to provide the 
participants with (i) an  improved appreciation 
of the TRIPS Agreement, including the flexibilities in that Agreement; (ii) an improved appreciation of important policy issues in the area of IP under negotiation/discussion in the WTO; (iii) and an im proved capability to 
effectively deal with on-going negotiations and discussions in the TRIPS area related to WTO accession   
  IP/C/W/600  
 
- 8 - Activity Date Location Brief Description Link to further details 
WTO National Workshop on the TRIPS 
Agreement 20-21 November 2013 Doha, Qatar The purpose of this activity was to provide the 
participants with an improved understanding (i) 
of the TRIPS Agreement (ii) and of important 
policy issues in the area of IP under 
negotiation/consideration in the WTO  
WTO National Seminar on the TRIPS 
Agreement  
 20-21 November 2013 Nay Pyi Taw, 
Myanmar The purpose of this activity was to provide the 
participants with (i) an  improved appreciation 
of the TRIPS Agreement, including the flexibilities in that Agreement; (ii) an improved appreciation of important policy issues in the area of IP under negotiation/discussion in the WTO; (iii) and an im proved capability to 
effectively deal with on-going negotiations and discussions in the TRIPS area related to WTO accession  
WTO National Workshop on Public Policy 
Issues Related to the TRIPS Agreement 21-23 January 2014 San Salvador, 
El Salvador The purpose of this activity was to provide the 
participants with (i) a greater understanding of 
the TRIPS Agreement; (ii) a better appreciation 
of IP issues under negotiation or consideration 
in WTO, and related regular work; (iii) and 
improved capacity to assess the implications 
and effectively use TRIPS flexibilities in the 
national context  
WTO National Workshop on the TRIPS 
Agreement and on IP-related Matters 5-7 March 2014 Port Louis, 
Mauritius This workshop was part of the WTO Chair's 
programme and was jointly organized by the WTO, WIPO, and the University of Mauritius 
with the cooperation of the Mauritian 
government authorities. The main objective of the workshop, apart from raising awareness of 
the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement, was to help Mauritian authorities make their own assessment of the legal and institutional framework on IPRs that they need in Mauritius in the light of the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement and international best practices. WIPO officials have followed up on IP legislation as part of the MOU with Mauritius.    
  IP/C/W/600  
 
- 9 - Activity Date Location Brief Description Link to further details 
Informal Government Roundtable on the 
WTO Agreement 26-28 March 2014 Victoria, 
Seychelles The purpose of this activity was to assist the 
authorities of the Seychelles in the legislative 
process relating to the Copyright Bill and the 
Industrial Property Bill as part of their accession 
to the WTO  
WTO Regional Trade Policy Course for 
French-speaking Africa (sessions on TRIPS) 14-15 April 2014 Tunis, Tunisia The purpose of the RTPC, which includes a 
component on TRIPS, was to ensure that participants were thoroughly exposed to all WTO-related issues, an d developed practical 
skills as well as an extensive network of contacts. It also served as a general introduction for those who may become specialists at a later stage http://gtad.wto.org/project.aspx?prjCod
e=RTPC14/2  
 
WTO Regional Trade Policy Course for 
Caribbean countries   (sessions on 
TRIPS) 27-29 May 2014 Barbados, 
Bridgetown The purpose of the RTPC, which includes a 
component on TRIPS, was to ensure that 
participants were thoroughly exposed to all 
WTO-related issues, an d developed practical 
skills as well as an extensive network of 
contacts. It also served as a general 
introduction for those who may become 
specialists at a later stage http://gtad.wto.org/project.aspx?prjCod
e=RTPC14/5  
 
WTO Presentation on IPRs within a four-
week National Trade Policy Course for India 2-4 June 2014 New Delhi, 
India This IP module was part  of a 4-week summer 
course for law students co-organized by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi and the World Trade Institute (WTI), Berne. Participation of the WTO speaker was 
financed by the WTO Academic Support 
Programme. The module covered the legal and economic aspects of intellectual property rights (IPRs), focusing principally on the TRIPS Agreement and on the Indian IPR context.   
National Workshop on Public Health and 
Intellectual Property  3-5 June 2014 Cairo, Egypt This capacity building activity was co-organized 
by the Egyptian Ministry of Health and 
Population and the WHO. The objective was to 
provide information and exchange views on 
patent examination in the pharmaceutical 
sector and authorization of medical products, as 
well as to foster interdepartmental cooperation. 
From an early stage, both the WTO and WIPO   
  IP/C/W/600  
 
- 10 - Activity Date Location Brief Description Link to further details 
were closely associated to the design of the 
programme and made  comprehensive 
contributions at the workshop.  
WTO Regional Trade Policy Course for 
English-speaking Africa (sessions on TRIPS)  2-4 July 2014 Gaborone, 
Botswana  The purpose of the RTPC, which includes a 
component on TRIPS, was to ensure that participants were thoroughly exposed to all WTO-related issues, an d developed practical 
skills as well as an extensive network of contacts. It also served as a general introduction for those who may become specialists at a later stage http://gtad.wto.org/project.aspx?prjCod
e=RTPC14/1 
WIPO Conference on the Protection of 
Geographical Indications 17-18 July 2014    Podgorica, 
Montenegro The Secretariat contributed to this technical 
assistance event for East ern Europe and Central 
Asian countries convened by WIPO on the topic 
of Geographical Indications (GIs), by making a 
presentation on "GIs in the WTO"  
Workshop on the WTO's TRIPS 
Agreement and Public Health, organized by the EU Commission in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus 11-12 August 2014 Minsk, Belarus The WTO,  together with representatives from 
the WHO and WIPO, contributed to the conference. In response to a request by the Ministry of Health of Belarus, several 
presentations were made in order to familiarize participants with the TRIPS Agreement and later instruments as they relate to public health, as well as the po licy options available to 
countries in order to design an IP system that is responsive to needs in the public health sector  
WTO E-learning Course on Trade-
Related Intellectual Property Rights throughout the year remote access The elearning Course  on TRIPS is an 
interactive course over the Internet. It provides 
participating government officials online access 
to training material and to their assigned tutors 
from any location in the world http://etraining.wto.org/default.asp  
 
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