266. Pursuant to Article 67 of the TRIPS Agreement, Canada is pleased to submit its annual report on the implementation of Article 67 TRIPS, which provides an update on Canada's activities concerning IP-related technical and financial cooperation for developing and LDC Members, covering the 2017-2018 period (IP/C/W/647/Add.4). 267. Canada has undertaken a number of technical cooperation activities at the multilateral, plurilateral and bilateral levels. For instance, at the multilateral and plurilateral levels, Canada works in close collaboration with WIPO, as well as with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Intellectual Property Rights Expert's Group (APEC-IPEG), where Canada participates in regular discussions aimed at sharing information and best practices on IP rights. Canada also provides a number of technical cooperation activities administered by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), Global Affairs Canada, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Other Canadian institutions that receive funding from the Government of Canada, such as the Centre for Trade Policy and Law and the University of Ottawa, are also involved in international technical cooperation efforts. 268. For instance, as noted in this year's report, CIPO hosted and delivered its annual CIPO-WIPO Executive Workshop for senior officials from developing countries on management techniques in the delivery of IP services in June 2018. This workshop, which was delivered in French for the second year, benefitted from fruitful participation from Tunisia, Algeria, Cameroon, Benin, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Madagascar, Togo, Haiti, Belarus, and the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI). CIPO also made available online a number of pre-recorded webinars on IP and patents in collaboration with the Trade Facilitation Office of Canada. These webinars, which were available for embassies, consulates, and businesses from developing countries, covered topics such as the basics of Canadian IP, registration of patents and trademarks, and IP foundations for women entrepreneurs. Moreover, CIPO provided research and examination reports for patent examinations upon the requests of Madagascar and Djibouti, through WIPO's programme of International Cooperation in the Search and Examination of Inventions (or ICSEI). 269. Canada's 2018 report on Article 67 TRIPS also includes a number of IP-related technical assistance projects funded by the IDRC. These include the Copyright and Innovation in the Developing World Project in India, Colombia, Brazil, and Chile, which provides evidence to support Governments on copyright and innovation issues in the digital economy. This project has worked to develop a transnational index of changes in copyright laws in fifteen countries, studying the impact of copyright laws on the behaviour of firms, and is developing sector-specific case studies. The project has also examined new forms of payment and reward for developing country-creators seeking to distribute their content. 270. Canada also contributes to the work of the Open African Innovation Research Network (Open AIR), which aims to investigate how IP regimes in Africa can be harnessed to facilitate innovation through collaboration, and to make processes more participatory, knowledge more accessible, and benefits more widely-shared. Open AIR is engaged in several research areas. For instance, Open AIR's work on high-technology hubs examines the role of formal IP rights in African tech initiatives. As well, Open AIR's work on informal sector innovation is examining, among other things, whether there are IP-related solutions or challenges in scaling up informal businesses. 271. With respect to discussions on technical cooperation in the TRIPS Council, Canada remains interested in hearing Members' views on some of the successes and challenges in seeking technical assistance and cooperation to address their priority needs. Canada would also be interested in hearing how priority needs have changed since LDCs' initial work on TRIPS implementation, and where gaps in technical assistance might remain. As well, Canada would be interested in Members' experiences and best practices on the types of technical assistance that have proven most effective in supporting the implementation of TRIPS obligations and in using IP to support economic and social development. 272. Canada looks forward to discussing these issues further, with a view to ensuring that technical assistance continues to meet the priority needs and development objectives of its recipients.