376. The representative of Uganda said that this item on the agenda was important for many LDCs, particularly those who had carried out the needs assessment. Uganda and Sierra Leone had been the first LDCs to carry out the assessment. So far, Uganda had received support from some development partners and intergovernmental organizations, which had funded some activities identified in the project document. Uganda had also identified IP as a priority in the National Development plan. The Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS) was also due for review and the revised version would include IP as a priority not only in the area of legislation and enforcement but also in the area of IP and development, especially with regards to IP for innovation, business promotion, market penetration and promotion of different export products and also sensitization and public awareness. She called upon developed country Members to comply with their promise by providing support to those LDCs that had carried out the needs assessment by supporting their programmes so that, by 2013, they would have made positive progress in this regard. Uganda proposed that developed country Members and international agencies explore the possibility of supporting regional IP programmes based on countries needs assessment reports. She also called upon developing countries that had made progress in the area of IP to share their experiences with LDCs, to enable them derive benefits from implementation of the TRIPS Agreement.
