WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  IP/C/W/494 
27 September 2007 
 
 (07-4077) 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects 
of Intellectual Property Rights  
 
 
 
WTO SECRETARIAT TECHNICAL COOPERATION IN THE TRIPS AREA  
 
Note by the Secretariat  
 
 
    
 
1. This document updates the information on the WTO Secretariat's technical cooperation 
activities in regard to TRIPS matters contained in document IP/C/W/477, dated 5 September 2006.  It 
covers the period from 1 October 2006 to 30 Septem ber 2007.  It deals both with the Secretariat's 
technical activities that specifically relate to intellectual property and with those of a broader character which have a significant intellectual property component. 
Main Orientations
 
2. The Secretariat's technical cooperation activities in relation to TRIPS ha ve continued to be 
directed towards assisting Members to understand th e rights and obligations, including the available 
options, which flow from the TRIPS Agreement and re levant decisions of WTO bodies.  In particular, 
Members have received assistan ce to use the mechanisms under the TRIPS Agreement, such as the 
Paragraph 6 Mechanism on TRIPS and public health a nd in regard to notifications and reviews of 
national legislation.  The Secretariat's technical  cooperation activities in the TRIPS area have also 
been aimed at assisting Members to participate fully in the ongoing work in the WTO on TRIPS 
matters, in particular by assisting them to assess what  is at stake for them in issues under negotiation, 
examination or review.  In the last years, the Secretariat has sought to pay increasing attention to capacity building, the training of trainers, etc. in developing countries. 
3. The technical cooperation made available has been essentially driven by demand from 
Members.  The Secretariat has also provided assi stance to countries seeking to join the WTO by 
helping them to prepare for the accession process and by training officials.  Priority continues to be 
attached to assistance to least-developed countri es, which includes components geared towards the 
type of needs assessment foreseen in paragraph 2 of the Decision on the Extension of the Transition 
Period under Article 66.1 TRIPS for Least-Developed Country Members.
1  Importance has been 
attached to ensuring complementarity and cooperatio n with other intergovernmental organizations, in 
particular WIPO and WHO.  The main modes of supply of technical cooperation specifically relating 
to the TRIPS Agreement have been information a nd advice given to Members in Geneva and study 
                                                      
1 The Decision of the Council for TRIPS of 29 November 2005 (IP/C/40) extends the transition period 
for least-developed country Members until 1 July 2013 and calls for them to provide information to the Council for TRIPS, preferably by January 2008, on their individual priority needs for technical and financial cooperation 
in order to assist them taking steps n ecessary to implement the TRIPS Agreement This document has been prepa red 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/494 
Page 2  
 
  programmes, training courses, seminars and work shops for developing coun tries in Geneva and 
elsewhere. 
Information and Advice to Members in Geneva
 
4. A significant part of the work of Secretariat o fficials dealing with intellectual property matters 
has been concerned with providing information in response to questions put to them by 
representatives of Member governments, e.g. notifi cation and review procedures, the meaning of 
particular provisions of the TRIPS Agreement,  the options available under these provisions and 
matters under discussion or negotiation in the TRIPS Council.  Matters have been raised with the 
Secretariat not only by local delegations but also by visiting intellectual property officials and as a 
result of direct contacts from officials in capitals on issues such as domestic draft legislation or the 
ongoing work and negotiations in the TRIPS Council.  Advice and information have also been given 
to officials from acceding countries.   
5. As regards more specifically the needs asse ssment foreseen in the aforementioned TRIPS 
Council Decision of 29 November 2005,  the Secret ariat attended a meeting on 9 May 2007 of the 
LDCs' Consultative Group to follow-up on an earlie r meeting held on 18 October 2006 to emphasize 
the availability of the Secretariat to assist in this connection.  
Seminars, Workshops, Training Courses and Other Technical Cooperation Activities    
 In Geneva 
6. TRIPS issues have continued to figure prominen tly in the context of broader training courses, 
seminars and workshops held in Geneva.  For example, the long WTO Trade Policy Courses, the 
Introduction Courses for LDCs, the "Geneva Weeks" fo r Non-Residents, and other events held in 
Geneva included presentations on the TRIPS Agreem ent and the ongoing work and negotiations in the 
TRIPS area.  The four long Trade Policy Courses held in Geneva during the reporting period 
(38th TPC for English-speaking countries from 18 September to 8 December 2006, 39th and 40th TPC 
for English-speaking countries from 15 January to 6 April 2007, 41th TPC for French-speaking 
countries from 30 April to 20 July 2007) also included a visit to WIPO, learning about that 
Organization, its conventions  and activities.  In addition, the S ecretariat organized a number of special 
study programmes for government officials. 
7. An important component of the activities carried  out in Geneva during the reporting period 
was the holding, from 18 to 29 June 2007, of a fourth joint WIPO-WTO Colloquium for Teachers of Intellectual Property from Developing Countries.  Fo r the WTO, this formed part of the wider 
approach in the WTO Technical Assistance Plan 2007 towards cooperation with the academic 
community in developing countries aimed at local capacity building on WTO matters.  The main 
objectives of the Colloquium were to update university  teachers of intellectual property in developing 
countries on the activities and instruments of WI PO and the WTO, and to provide a forum for 
exchange of information and ideas among the particip ants and officials of the two Organizations.  
Emphasis was put on recent developments a nd on policy issues under debate in the two 
Organizations.  The Colloquium also provided an o pportunity for an exchange of views on teaching 
methodologies and on the outsourcing of technical cooperation.  One week of the Colloquium took 
place at the WIPO Worldwide Academy and the othe r at the WTO.  University teachers from the 
following 20 developing countries and economies in tr ansition participated in  the event:  China, 
Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico , Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Saint Lucia, Serbia, 
Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Ukraine, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela and Zambia.  
One self-funded participant came from New Zeal and.  In addition to speakers from the two 
Secretariats and from WHO and UPOV, several Geneva-based delegates as well as representatives  IP/C/W/494 
 Page 3 
 
 
  from industry and NGOs shared views on certain topical issues under discussion or negotiation.  
Participating university teachers also made presentations on selected topics.2 
8. Another important element of the activities carri ed out in Geneva was the holding, from 27 to 
29 November 2006, of a second Workshop on the TRIPS Ag reement and Public Health.  It focused, in 
particular, on the implementation and application of  the paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the 
TRIPS Agreement and Public Health system established under the August 2003 Decision of the 
General Council and the amendment of the TRIPS Agreement of December 2005.  This was a 
renewed effort to give capital-based practitioners fro m trade, IP and public health authorities a hands-
on knowledge of how to use the system.  Representatives from the WHO, WIPO, OAPI and other IGOs, Geneva-based missions, industry and NGOs re ported on their activities, experiences and views 
in relation to the implementation of the paragraph 6 system. 
 Outside Geneva 
9. An important part of WTO technical cooperation in the field of intellectual property has been 
the organization of, or participation in, internati onal, regional and national seminars, workshops and 
other events outside Geneva.  The Annex to this  document lists the technical cooperation missions 
outside Geneva organized by, or involving, intellectual property staff.  
10. In accordance with the WTO Technical Assistan ce Plan 2007, two regional workshops with a 
focus on certain topical issues under discussion, examin ation or negotiation in the TRIPS context, in 
particular TRIPS and public health, biotech nology/traditional knowledge/biodiversity, and 
geographical indications were held this year, in co operation with the host country:  in Tunis, Tunisia, 
from 2 to 4 May 2007 for French-speaking African countries;  and Capetown, South Africa, from 
3 to 5 July 2007 for English-speaking African count ries.  The aim of the workshops is to provide 
information and an opportunity for an exchange of views among countries of the region that will 
facilitate their effective participa tion in the ongoing negotiations or discussions.  With regard to the 
decisions on Paragraph 6, the workshops also have as  their objective to provide information that will 
assist the countries of the region in implementing an d making effective use of the mechanism set out 
therein.  The programmes for these workshops provi de for presentations by WTO staff members and 
representatives of WIPO and WHO as well as by tw o invited experts from Members that are 
participating or have participated in the discussi ons or negotiations on the topical issues mentioned. 
11. Following up on the Workshop on the TRIPS Agreem ent and Public Health for English- and 
French-speaking African countries held in Mauritiu s in 2006, as well as Geneva-based workshops of 
this type, the Secretariat and UNESCAP jointly organized a similar workshop for the Asia-Pacific 
region in Macao, China, from 25 to 27 July 2007.  Discussions and practical exercises addressed, in 
particular, the August 2003 Decision on the Implemen tation of Paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration 
on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health and the December 2005 Decision on an Amendment of 
the TRIPS Agreement.  The main purpose of this activ ity was to seek to give pa rticipants a "hands on" 
knowledge of the use of the Paragraph 6 Mechanis m, in particular through the provision of 
information and exercises pertaining to its implementation, and to provide a platform for the analysis 
of issues related to the legislative and institutiona l framework at the domestic  level.  Thirty-seven 
capital-based government officials from intellectual pr operty, trade and public health departments in 
developing and least-developed countries and territories of the Asia-Pacific region, often with direct 
responsibility for matters relating to the interacti on between the TRIPS Agreement and public health, 
participated in the activity.  In addition to speakers from the Secretariat, representatives from 
international organizations (WIPO, WHO, UNESC AP, UNDP), representatives of the pharmaceutical 
                                                     
 
2 For the programme, go to http://www.wto.org/eng lish/tratop_e/trips_e/wipo_wto_colloquium_june 
07_e.htm. IP/C/W/494 
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  industry and NGOs, as well as delegates from develo ped and developing WTO Members shared their 
experiences and views on the paragraph 6 system with participants. 
12. In addition, the WTO participated in ten national seminars or workshops devoted to 
intellectual property matters, in cooperatio n with the host country (Burkina Faso 
on 2-3 November 2006, Uganda on 7-8 November 2006, Tanzania on 14-15 November 2006, Turkey 
on 17-18 January 2007, Indonesia on 21-22 Febr uary 2007, Yemen on 20-21 March 2007, Uruguay 
on 30-31 May 2007, Niger on 13-14 June 2007, Ma dagascar on 18-19 June 2007 and Zambia on 
22 -24 August 2007).  The workshops in Burkina Faso, Uganda, Tanzania, Niger, Madagascar and 
Zambia included a session aimed specifically at assi sting in the assessment of priority needs for 
technical and financial cooperation foreseen in  the Decision of the Council for TRIPS of 
29 November 2005.  The workshop in Uganda was jo intly organised with WIPO.  This organisation 
also sent one or more speakers to the workshops in  Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Zambia and Yemen.   
13. One of the features of activities during the re cent years has been the increasing number of 
broader WTO events outside Geneva which have  included a significant TRIPS component.  The 
intellectual property staff contributed, in partnershi p with universities, to three WTO regional Trade 
Policy Courses (Asia-Pacific, French-speaking Afri ca and English-speaking Africa) and organized an 
advanced training course, for Caribbean countries with  the University of the West Indies.  The WTO 
Secretariat also co-organized, w ith other intergovernmental organizations, three WTO shorter Trade 
Policy Courses.  
Cooperation with WIPO and other Intergovernmental Organizations
 
14. As indicated in this note and earlier reports s ubmitted to the Council for TRIPS, cooperation 
with WIPO has been a key feature of WTO Secretar iat technical cooperation in the TRIPS area.  This 
has been based on the Cooperation Agreement betw een the two Organizations, Article 4 of which 
deals with legal-technical assistance and technical cooperation3, and the WIPO-WTO Joint Initiative 
on Technical Cooperation for Least-Developed Countri es, launched in June 2001.  In response to 
paragraph 4 of the Decision on the Extension of the Transition Period for Least-Developed Country 
Members4, and based on the 1995 Cooperation Agre ement as well as the 2001 WIPO-WTO Joint 
Initiative, the two Organizations have agreed to inte nsify their cooperation, including through the joint 
organization of national workshops for least-dev eloped country Members and the WIPO providing 
resource persons for such events organized by the WTO. 
15. The WTO Secretariat has also sought to cooperate  in the provision of technical cooperation in 
the area of TRIPS with other intergovernmental organizations, in particular the WHO on matters 
relating to TRIPS and public health. 
_______________ 
                                                      
3 The Agreement between the World Intellectua l Property Organization and the World Trade 
Organization came into effect on 1 January 1996.  Article 4 of the Agreement provides for the International Bureau of WIPO to make available to developing country WTO Members which are not members of WIPO the 
same legal-technical assistance relating to the TRIPS Ag reement as it makes available to member states of 
WIPO which are developing countries.  The WTO Secretariat is required to  reciprocate.  The Agreement also 
provides for the International Bureau  and the WTO Secretariat to enhance cooperation in their legal-technical 
assistance and technical cooperation activities relating to the TRIPS Agreement for developing countries, so as 
to maximize the usefulness of those activities and ensure their mutually supportive nature. 
4 See above fn.1.  Paragraph 4 of the Decision states  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 capacity building as effective and operational as possible, the WTO shall seek to 
enhance its cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization and with other relevant international 
organizations."  IP/C/W/494 
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ANNEX 
 
Technical Cooperation Missions in the TRIPS Area from 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2007  
(Activities outside Geneva.  For Geneva-b ased events, see paragraphs 5 to 6 above) 
 
 
Date Place Mission 
2-3 November 2006 Ouagadougou, 
Burkina Faso WTO National Workshop on Intellectual Property 
7-8 November 2006 Kampala, Uganda WIPO /WTO National Workshop on TRIPS and 
Public Health 
14-15 November 2006 Dar es Salaam, 
Tanzania WTO National Seminar on Intellectual Property 
17-18 January 2007  Ankara, Turkey WTO National Seminar on the TRIPS Agreement 
24-25 January 2007 Casablanca, Morocco IsDB/WTO Short TPC for Arab-speaking 
members 
21-22 February 2007 Jakarta and 
Jogyakarta, Indonesia WTO National Workshop for Indonesia on the 
Progress of the DDA and the TRIPS Agreement 
5-9 March 2007 Kingstone, Jamaica WTO A dvanced training course for Caribbean 
countries 
20-21 March 2007 Sana'a, Yemen WIPO Nati onal Workshop on IPRs for Diplomats 
2-4 May 2007 Tunis, Tunisia WTO Regional Workshop on the TRIPS 
Agreement and Certain Topical Issues in Regard to Intellectual Property for French speaking African 
countries 
7-8 May 2007 Singapore Asia-Pacific WTO Regional Trade Policy Course 30-31 May 2007 Montevideo, 
Uruguay WTO National Workshop on the TRIPS 
Agreement and Certain Topical Issues in Regard to Intellectual Property 
8 June 2007  Libreville, Gabon WTO/BI D Regional TPC for French-speaking 
member countries 
13-14 June 2007 Niamey, Niger WTO Nati onal Workshop on Intellectual Property 
18-19 June 2007 Antananarivo, 
Madagascar WTO National Workshop on Intellectual Property IP/C/W/494 
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  Date Place Mission 
3-5 July 2007 Capetown, South 
Africa WTO Regional Workshop on the TRIPS 
Agreement and Certain Topical Issues in Regard to Intellectual Property for English-Speaking African countries 
9-11 July 2007 Windhoek, Namibia WTO Regional Trade Policy Course for English-
speaking African Countries 
17-18 July 2007 Yaoundé, Cameroun WTO Regional Trade Policy Course for French-
speaking African Countries 
25-27 July 2007 Macao, China WTO/UNE SCAP Regional workshop on the 
TRIPS Agreement and Public Health for the Asia 
Pacific Region 
22-24 August 2007 Lusaka, Zambia WTO Na tional Seminar on Intellectual Property 
and Public Health  
24-28 September 2007 Denpasar, Indonesia WTO/ UNESCAP Advanced Training Programme 
on the DDA negotiation issues for Senior 
Government Officials from Asia and Pacific Economies 
 
 
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