By means of a communication, dated 26 October 2009, the following revised note is being circulated at the request of the World Intellectual Property Organization. It was circulated as an advance copy for the Council's meeting on 27 October 2009.
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1. The present note has been prepared by the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), pursuant to the invitation of the Chair of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Council for TRIPS of October 2, 2009, to provide updated information on its technical, legal and financial cooperation programmes relevant to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement for the meeting of the Council for TRIPS scheduled for October 27-28, 2009.
2. TRIPS-related legal assistance and technical cooperation activities and programmes managed by WIPO fall within the framework of the provisions of the Agreement between WIPO and WTO which entered into force on January 1, 1996. Since then, WIPO’s International Bureau has responded to requests received from developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs) by providing extensive legal and technical assistance focused on the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement. It is recalled that the WIPO WTO Agreement was later complemented by two joint initiatives launched by the Directors General of the two Organizations in July 1998 and in June 2001, respectively. These initiatives further reinforced the commitment of the two organizations to provide necessary advice and assistance to developing countries and LDCs relating to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement. As a result of the discussions between the Directors General, the WIPO and WTO Secretariats have strengthened their consultation and periodically discussed issues and matters of mutual interest with a view to enhancing the existing institutional cooperation. The meetings between the two Secretariats have resulted in increased levels of joint activities at the regional and national levels, with particular attention given to LDCs.
3. In the period October 2008-September 2009, WIPO has continued to provide demand-based legal-technical assistance to developing countries and LDCs in support of their efforts in implementing obligations deriving from the TRIPS Agreement. The assistance extended in this respect covered, among others, the areas of legislative advice, awareness building and human resource development, institution and capacity building, modernization of the intellectual property systems as well as enforcement-related activities.
4. WIPO, therefore, continued to assist countries in developing and implementing strategies and policies aimed at creating, protecting, managing and exploiting intellectual property (IP) for economic, social and cultural development. WIPO also strengthened its assistance to help countries in integrating IP into overall national development and public policy in areas such as health, trade, education, research, technology transfer and competition policies, including advising countries on the flexibilities available under international IP treaties, and in particular the TRIPS Agreement.
5. The present note covers activities relevant to the above context during the period under review and the list found hereunder is meant to be indicative and not exhaustive.
