WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  IP/C/W/478/Add.2 
16 October 2006 
 
 (06-4960) 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects 
of Intellectual Property Rights Original:  English 
 
 
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES:  INFORMATION FROM 
OTHER INTERGOVERNMEN TAL ORGANIZATIONS 
 
UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE  
AND DEVELOPMENT (UNCTAD) 
 
Addendum  
 
  At its meeting of 14-15 June 2006, the Council for TRIPS agreed to invite intergovernmental 
organization observers to the Council to update th e information on their technical and financial 
cooperation programmes relating to the impl ementation of the TRIPS Agreement.   
  The present document reproduces the inform ation which has been received from the 
United Nations Conference on Tr ade and Development (UNCTAD) by means of a communication 
dated 10 October 2006.   
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I. THE MANDATE 
1. Responding to the mandates provided in the Bangkok Plan of Action (UNCTAD X, 2000) and 
the São Paolo Consensus  (UNCTAD XI, 2004), the UNCTAD secretariat is carrying out several 
technical cooperation activities on the development implications of intellectual property (IP) 
provisions in international arrangements.  Th ese activities seek to help developing countries 
participate effectively in international discussions  on intellectual property, and to identify policy 
options for and best practices in successfully integrating developing countries into the world 
economy.  UNCTAD implements this mandate in an in tegrated fashion across its different pillars of 
activities, thereby creating synergies between resear ch and analysis on the one hand and technical 
assistance and capacity building on the other.   
2. The Sao Paulo Consensus, in paragraph 101,  mandates UNCTAD to "undertake analysis, 
including at the regional level, of the development dimension of intellectual pr operty and trade-related 
aspect of intellectual property rights (TRIPS), including improvement in the transfer of technology to 
developing countries, the development dimensions  and implications of the establishment and 
enforcement of intellectual property rights, as well as protection of trad itional knowledge, genetic 
resources, and folklore and fair and equitable shar ing, without prejudice to the work undertaken in 
other fora." 
II. COOPERATION WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 
3. UNCTAD focuses in particular on issues relevant to the development dimension of 
intellectual property rights (IPRs).  In so doing , UNCTAD also collaborates with inter-governmental 
and other organizations.  For example, in May 2005, UNCTAD collaborated with WIPO and other IP/C/W/478/Add.2 
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  inter-governmental organizations in convening an international seminar on Intellectual Property and 
Development.   
4. The UNCTAD-ICTSD Project on Intellectual Pr operty Rights and Sustainable Development 
is another example of cooperation between UNCTAD and an intergovernmental organization.  The 
main activities of this joint project are mentioned below.   
III. MAIN TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES  
• UNCTAD assists countries with IPR related regulatory reform, including TRIPS-related 
technical assistance for countries ne gotiating their accession to the WTO .  UNCTAD advice 
is focussed on the design, adoption and implemen tation of IP laws and regulations which are 
TRIPS compliant - while at the same time using TRIPS flexibilities.  Thereby UNCTAD 
assists in the establishment of national IP framewo rks which suit the particular country's level 
of economic, social and technological development,  allowing countries to reap benefits from 
technological developments and innovation, while reducing attendant costs, in line with the 
broader objectives of the TRIPS Agreement, as set  out in Articles 7 and 8 of the Agreement.  
Amongst others, UNCTAD advice is based on studies assessing the impact of IP regimes - including TRIPS - on specific industry sectors, thereby ensuring targeted, evidence-based and 
demand driven advice. 
 
• UNCTAD provides legal and policy advice to developing countries participating in 
negotiations and discussions in the WTO TRIPS Council.  UNCTAD assistance covers a 
broad range of issues relevant to IP and deve lopment, including TRIPS and Public Health, 
TRIPS and CBD - related issues (e.g., biodiv ersity/traditional knowledge).  Moreover, 
UNCTAD participates in regular informal en counters with trade negotiators to raise 
awareness on the development dimension of TRIPS.   
 
• UNCTAD's project on dispute settlement , which aims at enhancing the common knowledge 
base on WTO jurisprudence and its systemic , developmental and other implications, also 
addresses TRIPS-related disputes.  (See www.unctad.org/disputesettlement) 
 
• UNCTAD conducts cutting-edge research and analysis on issues related to IP and 
development, feeding into processes and developmen ts, both at the national and international 
levels.  For example, a recently published paper " Analysis of Options for Implementing 
Disclosure of Origin Requirements in  Intellectual Property Applications ", was commissioned 
in response to a request made by the Convention on Biological Diversity secretariat for UNCTAD to examine issues related to disclosur e of origin requirements in intellectual 
property applications.  Amongst others, the study sets out the possible features of a mandatory 
system for disclosure of origin;  discusses choices for model provisions on disclosure requirements and looks at practical issues re lated to the implementation of disclosure 
requirements within existing treaties.  Anot her example is UNCTAD's study analysing 
options of how to strengthen the developmen t dimension of the TRIPS Agreement.   
 
5. In addition to these activities, since 2001 UNCTAD has been implementing a joint project 
with the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD).  The UNCTAD-
ICTSD Project on Intellectual Property Rights and Su stainable Development is intended to address 
the concerns voiced by developing countries mainly with respect to implementation of the TRIPS Agreement.
1  The first two phases of the project (2001-2003 and 2003-2006, respectively) aim 
                                                      
1 Since 2001, the project has benefited from the financial support of the UK Department for 
International Development (DFID), the Swedish Intern ational Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and 
the Rockefeller Foundation.  IP/C/W/478/Add.2 
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  at improving the understanding of the development implications of  IPRs;  facilitating informed 
participation in ongoing multilateral,  regional and bilateral negotiati ons, as well as assisting national 
authorities in the implementation of international IP commitments and adoption of forward-looking 
national IPRs policies.  Completed project activ ities consist of the following interrelated outputs: 
A. POLICY -ORIENTED INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH .   
• A Resource Book on TRIPS and Development  providing a development-oriented analysis of 
each provision of the TRIPS Agreement, taking into account economic and social 
implications and IPR trends in non-WTO foru ms.  The book is available on the project 
website ( www.iprsonline.org ) and was published by Cambridge University Press in February 
of 2005. 
 
• A Study Series  on various topical IPR issues including, inter alia , transfer of technology, 
geographical indications, nutrition, traditiona l knowledge, innovati on, competition, and 
computer software.   
 
• A Regional Research Agenda made up of a series of policy-oriented research papers on 
specific IP issues, written by field-based expe rts representing each region.  The studies focus 
on specific IP issues that have been identified as regional research gaps by participants in 
UNCTAD-ICTSD Regional Dialogues (see below).  They analyse development concerns in 
IP debates, and contribute directly to na tional and regional policy-making.  The studies 
involve collaboration between regional resear ch institutions in developing countries. 
 B. E
NHANCING IP POLICY FORMULATION  
• At the international level , the project convened a series of dialogues involving key policy 
makers and stakeholders at the Rockefeller Foun dation facilities in Bellagio, Italy, in order to 
build and promote a development-oriented agenda on IPRs.   
  
• At the regional and national level,  the project works closely with selected centres of 
excellence based in established universities and research institutions in developing countries, 
as well as with NGOs, media and parliamentarians.  The main means of collaboration are joint research and regional dialogues, which draw, inter alia , on the existing and ongoing 
research described above. 
 
• In Geneva,  regular informal encounters with stakehol ders are organized to raise awareness of 
emerging and technical issues related to IP  and to discuss development implications. 
 
6. The project places considerable emphasis on assis ting developing countri es in enhancing IP 
policy formulation through establishing and supporting networks.  The overall obj ective is to facilitate 
the emergence of a critical mass of well-informed stak eholders that could play an active role in future 
policy making. 
7. UNCTAD and ICTSD are currently exploring with  DFID/UK the possibility of financing for 
a third phase of this project, which aims at the practical application of many of the research outputs of 
the first two phases at the national level, and assisting developing countries in ensuring that 
intellectual property policies are harmonized with their overall development objectives. 
8. For more information, please visit:  www. unctad.org/tot-ip;   www.unctad.org/iia 
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