On October 18, 2016, CLDP organized an introductory program on “Border Protection of Intellectual Property Rights” in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Advisors from the World Customs Organization, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and CLDP led discussions with participants from the Customs Service, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, including the National Center for Patents and Information and the WTO Affairs Office, on such topics as “The Health and Safety Risks Posed by Counterfeit and Pirated Products,” “Economic Aspects of Counterfeit Trade,” and “Challenges of Interdicting Infringing Merchandise.” Participants reported that the topics provided them with new contexts for and perspectives on their duties to protect the borders of Tajikistan as well as to fulfill Tajikistan’s recently assumed obligations under the WTO’s TRIPS Agreement. In the second half of the afternoon, CLDP engaged participants in planning a broader follow-on program to include wider representation from the government agencies in attendance as well as officials from the judiciary, law enforcement, and the agriculture and standards ministries.

CLDP initiated the intellectual property rights protection program at the request of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade to support efforts by the Government of Tajikistan to carry out its “National Strategy for the Development of the Intellectual Property in the Years 2014-2020“ and the “Program for the Adjustment of the Economy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Connection with Membership in the World Trade Organization.”