IP/C/W/614/Add.7

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

At its meeting of 7 8 June 2016, the Council for TRIPS agreed to invite intergovernmental organization observers to the Council to update the information on their technical and financial cooperation programmes relating to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement. The present document reproduces the information which has been received from World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) by means of a communication dated 27 October 2016. 1. This note has been prepared by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), pursuant to the invitation of the Chair of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Council for TRIPS of 1 September 2016, to provide updated information on its technical, legal and financial cooperation programs relevant to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement for the meeting of the Council for TRIPS scheduled for 8 and 9 November 2016. 2. WIPO is committed to providing Member States with the necessary advice and assistance relating to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement. In this respect WIPO regularly responds to requests received from developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs) to provide such assistance. TRIPS related legal assistance and technical cooperation activities and programs fall within the framework of the provisions of the Agreement between WIPO and WTO and is complemented by two joint initiatives that were launched by the Directors General of the two Organizations in July 1998 and in June 2001, respectively. 3. For the period October 2015 to September 2016, WIPO has provided legal and technical assistance to Member States in support of their efforts in implementing obligations deriving from the TRIPS Agreement and within the context of WIPO's Results Framework. WIPO assisted countries mainly from developing and least developed countries in developing and implementing strategies and policies aimed at creating, protecting, managing and exploiting IP for economic, social and cultural development. WIPO also strengthened its assistance to help these 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. 4. The Appendix provides a list of the relevant activities undertaken by WIPO in the period October 2015 to September 2016.