In these issues papers, authors are invited to examine a subject of importance in the developing international intellectual property regime and highlight key issues they see arising. The topics have been chosen following consultations with negotiators from developing countries, and respond to their concerns. Our aim is to contribute to a greater understanding of the impact of changes in this area upon people’s lives and better inform debate and negotiations.

This statement deals with the importance of understanding the specific experiences and needs of girl soldiers, and take these into account in policy and programme formulation.

See also The Voices of Girl Child Soldiers and Girl Soldiers: Challenging the assumptions.

Published jointly with Terre des hommes Germany, this research concerns the experiences and circumstances of former child soldiers seeking asylum in Germany. It focuses on some of the problems these extremely vulnerable young persons face, and attempts to assess their needs. The study highlights challenges imposed by the asylum process, providing insights and recommendations that will be useful in other national contexts. The English edition, unlike the original German version, does not include detailed discussion on German asylum law and process, as it is intended for a broader audience.

This document deals with an aspect of the problem of child participation in armed conflict that is little explored and not well understood - how child participants in armed conflict, internal violence and other militarized situations are/should be treated by the justice system and by counter-terrorism legislation.

Will biotechnology and the minimum standards of intellectual property rights (IPRs) required of members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) affect food security? Variations on this question have arisen in discussions with negotiators in Geneva in the Quaker UN Office programme (QUNO) on the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). This paper provides some ideas of how that question might be answered.

One concern arising from implementation of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is its impact on farming communities. In particular, the meaning of four words in Article 27.3(b) – ‘effective sui generis system’ – for plant variety protection (PVP) has

exercised many people in developing countries since publication of our earlier report on Trade, Intellectual Property, Food and Biodiversity* in February 1999. In response to concerns expressed by developing country missions to the WTO in Geneva, we have commissioned this discussion paper to examine this issue.

Debate about the impact of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has broadened since publication of our earlier discussion paper on Trade, Intellectual Property, Food and Biodiversity* in February 1999. One area of concern is its impact on traditional and indigenous knowledge (TK). This paper discusses a number of policy issues surrounding the protection of TK that may be relevant to future negotiations or a deeper treatment of this issue in various international fora.

Occasional Paper 5 - TRIPS Disputes: Implications for the Pharmaceutical Sector 

Occasional Paper 3 - Notes of a talk given at Quaker House, Geneva, 23 May 2001