WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  IP/C/W/548/Add.1 
21 October 2010 
 
 (10-5479) 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects of 
Intellectual Property Rights Original:   English 
 
 
 
PRIORITY NEEDS FOR TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL COOPERATION 
 
Communication from Rwanda  
 
Addendum  
  The present document reproduces additional in formation received from the delegation of 
Rwanda by means of a communication dated 19 Oc tober 2010.  It completes Rwanda's earlier 
communication on its priority needs for technical an d financial cooperation by  supplying Annex 2 of 
the submission.  Annex 2 outlines the proposed Rwanda Development and IP capacity building 
project, with a view to translating the needs assess ment into a concrete technical assistance project. 
 
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  IP/C/W/548/Add.1 
Page 2 ANNEX 2 
 
OUTLINE PROGRAMME PLANNING MATRIX 
  
STRATEGIC GOALS & 
OBJECTIVES IDENTIFIED NEEDS 
FOR TECHNICAL & 
FINANCIAL 
ASSISTANCE PROPOSED MAIN 
ACTIVITIES TO 
ADDRESS NEEDS LEAD  
NATIONAL 
AGENCIES PROVISIONAL 
TARGET  
TIMETABLE POSSIBLE 
DEVELOPMENT 
PARTNERS 
Project 1 : 
Implementation of IP 
Policy and Harmonization of Legal 
Framework 
 1. Training for 
policymakers on IPR 
concepts, TRIPS and international IPR 
conventions (including 
obligations, flexibilities, 
safeguards and 
exceptions applicable to Rwanda) and best 
practices from other 
countries.  
2. Development of a 
multi-disciplinary IP 
policy teaching, research and analysis 
capacity in the 
academic community. 
3. Development of IP 
management policies 
and procedures for 
national universities 
and research institutes. 
4. Technical assistance 
in the Legislation of 
the Law governing Traditional 
Knowledge and 
expression of folklore. • Establishment of a 
"National IP Policy 
Forum", properly equipped to bring together the 
appropriate range of 
governmental and non-governmental stakeholder 
in the policy development 
process. The forum is expected to come up with 
the first draft  on the law 
on TK. 
• Intensive training activity 
to develop sufficient 
national IP policymaking capacity based on solid 
understanding of IP issues, 
international IP conventions, and how they 
impact on Rwanda's 
national development 
objectives.   
• Development of IP policy 
research, analysis and 
teaching capacity in 
Universities. • Ministry of Trade & 
Industry 
 
• Ministry of Justice  
 
• Ministry of Health 
 
• Ministry of 
Agriculture 
 
• Office of the 
Registrar General (RG Office) 
 
• Rwanda National 
Science & 
Technology Council 
 
• Kigali Institute of 
Science and 
Technology 
 
• Rwanda Agriculture 
Development 
Authority 
 
• Civil Society & 
Private Sector 
representatives • All activities under 
Project 1 to commence 
as soon as possible and to be completed by 
July 2012 
• Additional phase of 
technical and financial 
assistance may be 
required after July 2012 • WIPO (on industrial 
property training and 
development of a national IP strategy) 
 
• WTO (for development 
and implementation of 
IP policy training 
activities) 
 
• WTO (facilitate 
Rwanda’s participation in the TRIPS Council) 
 
• UNESCO (on 
copyright, related rights 
and traditional 
knowledge policy and legislation) 
 
• WHO (on patents and 
public health 
regulation) 
 
• FAO (on GIs and plant 
variety protection policy and legislation) 
 
•  ICTSD (IP and 
sustainable 
development policy) 
  
   IP/C/W/548/Add.1
 Page 3STRATEGIC GOALS & 
OBJECTIVES IDENTIFIED NEEDS 
FOR TECHNICAL & 
FINANCIAL 
ASSISTANCE PROPOSED MAIN 
ACTIVITIES TO 
ADDRESS NEEDS LEAD  
NATIONAL 
AGENCIES PROVISIONAL 
TARGET  
TIMETABLE POSSIBLE 
DEVELOPMENT 
PARTNERS 
• UNCTAD (on transfer 
of technology policy) 
 
• CoP-CBD (on ABS 
policy and regulation) 
 
Project 2 :  
Using IP for 
development, promoting 
innovation, creativity, and technology transfer 
 1. Improving business 
education and 
awareness about IP for 
SMEs targeting the creative industries 
(copyright and related 
rights), agricultural (plant varieties, 
trademarks, 
geographical 
indications) and 
manufacturing sector in particular (patents 
and trademarks). 
2. Identification of the 
potential economic 
value of national 
creative & cultural industries. 
3. Establishing a 
Collective Management 
Organization (CMO) 
to manage rights of authors and creators. • Training of SMEs, staff 
managing the PIS, 
university and private 
sector researchers and legal practitioners (as 
potential patent agents) in 
patent database searching and reading patent 
documentation. 
• Design and 
implementation of an 
online, fully searchable patent information service 
at the RDB/Office of the 
Registrar General (RG Office), and possibly other 
sites, based on global 
patent databases. 
• Study to assess feasibility 
of adding limited technical 
search and examination resources to the RG Office 
to support patenting and 
dissemination of patented technical information.  
• Support to IP management 
and technology transfer help desks,  • Ministry of Trade and 
Industry  
• Ministry of Tourism  
• RG Office  
• Ministry of Sports 
and Culture 
• Private sector 
associations 
representing SMEs 
• Private Society of 
authors (Rwandan 
Society of Authors-RSAU) 
• Kigali Institute of 
Science and Technology,  
• Institute of Research 
in Science and Technology (IRST)  • All activities under 
Project 2 to commence 
as soon as possible and 
to be completed by July 2012 
• Additional phase of 
technical and financial assistance may be 
required after July 2012  
• WIPO 
 
• WTO 
 
• ARIPO 
 
• EPO (patent 
information services) 
 
• UNIDO 
 
• UNCTAD (on transfer 
of technology policy) 
 
• ICTSD 
 
• World Bank 
 
• European Commission 
 
• USAID 
 
• UNESCO  
  IP/C/W/548/Add.1 
Page 4 STRATEGIC GOALS & 
OBJECTIVES IDENTIFIED NEEDS 
FOR TECHNICAL & 
FINANCIAL 
ASSISTANCE PROPOSED MAIN 
ACTIVITIES TO 
ADDRESS NEEDS LEAD  
NATIONAL 
AGENCIES PROVISIONAL 
TARGET  
TIMETABLE POSSIBLE 
DEVELOPMENT 
PARTNERS 
• Improving IP education 
and undergraduate, 
graduate training teaching, 
• IP professional skills 
development for legal 
practioner  
 
Project 3 :   
Strengthening IP 
enforcement and regulation regime 
 1. Improving consumer 
education and public 
awareness about IPRs. 
2. Training and 
qualification of private 
and public sector attorneys and agents. 
3. Training of 
enforcement agencies 
and rights holder 
organizations in IPR concepts, national 
legislation and IPR 
enforcement strategies. 
4. Provision of access to 
networked, computerised national 
intellectual property 
registries for the Rwanda Revenue 
Authority/Customs 
department and Rwanda Bureau of 
Standards. 
 • Design, implementation 
and monitoring of public 
education and awareness raising campaigns on IPRs 
targeting a broad range of 
audiences. 
• Training programmes for 
attorneys, engineers and 
scientists in matters 
relating to patent 
prosecution and litigation. 
• Training for enforcement 
agencies and rights holder 
organizations, including classroom-based, on-the-
job, study tours, and 
training for trainers. 
• Training for the judiciary 
in intellectual property and 
case management, including classroom-based, 
colloquia and study tours. 
  
 • RG Office  
• Customs and Excise 
Department of Rwanda Revenue 
Authority 
• National Police 
• Rwanda National 
Bureau of Standards 
• Commercial 
Division, High Court 
of Rwanda 
• Private sector 
associations  • All activities under 
Project 3 to commence 
as soon as possible and to be completed by 
July 2013 
• Additional phase of 
technical and financial 
assistance may be 
required after July 2013 • WIPO 
 
• WCO 
 
• INTERPOL 
 
• UK IP Office and 
Customs service 
• UNESCO 
• World Bank (on 
customs infrastructure) 
 
• European Commission 
• USAID  
   IP/C/W/548/Add.1
 Page 5STRATEGIC GOALS & 
OBJECTIVES IDENTIFIED NEEDS 
FOR TECHNICAL & 
FINANCIAL 
ASSISTANCE PROPOSED MAIN 
ACTIVITIES TO 
ADDRESS NEEDS LEAD  
NATIONAL 
AGENCIES PROVISIONAL 
TARGET  
TIMETABLE POSSIBLE 
DEVELOPMENT 
PARTNERS 
5. Enhancing co-
operation with foreign 
enforcement agencies on counterfeiting and 
piracy.   
 
 
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