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Reference is made to the ongoing cooperation between the WIPO Division for Least Developed Countries and the Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV) and the implementation of the Training Program WIPO-Sida Advanced Training and Advisory Program on Intellectual Property Rights in the Global Economy for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), which is organized twice a year, in two phases, in Stockholm and in a Least Developed Country (LDC).
As part of the overall cooperation, the Program also facilitates the implementation of projects in the area of intellectual property (IP) which are pertinent to national economic growth and development priorities that are developed and discussed by the participants during the course of the Training Program. This approach then aims for project implementation at the national level.
This project based implementation strategy enables the further strengthening of national capacity in the area of science, technology and innovation whilst adopting an outcome oriented and results based approach. Further, this approach also emphasizes on the holistic cooperation between national institutions of higher learning, research centers, industry etc. all of which play a role in fostering sustainable and inclusive national innovation and IP systems.
Tanzania, as a regular beneficiary of the Training Program, has identified Traditional Medicinal Knowledge as a priority area in the context of the local innovation system and where significant gaps remain to be addressed. In particular, it has been determined that further expertise would be required in the complex issue of the protection of Traditional Medicinal Knowledge in the IP context whilst also ensuring that the benefits are shared with the holders of the Traditional Knowledge.
In view of the above, and following consultations with the Institute of Traditional Medicine, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and colleagues in the Traditio |