Third Quarter 2007: Rwanda and Canada Leading the Implementation of the August 2003 Decision for Import/Export of Pharmaceuticals Produced under Compulsory License

This research paper analyzes the first practical application of the August 2003 Decision for the import and export of pharmaceuticals produced under compulsory license, specifically focusing on the process where Rwanda imported a pharmaceutical product from a generic manufacturer in Canada.

• The Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, issued by the WTO in 2001, provides legal certainty regarding a country's ability to determine grounds for compulsory licenses, define national emergencies, and establish regimes for the exhaustion of intellectual property rights, specifically stating that a public health crisis constitutes a national emergency.
• Rwanda has utilized the system created under the August 2003 Decision to import a specific pharmaceutical product from a generic manufacturer in Canada. Because Rwanda is a Least-Developed Country (LDC), it was not required to notify its intention to use the system as an importing country under paragraph 1(b) of the Decision, but instead notified the TRIPS Council directly under paragraph 2(a). Canada subsequently notified the TRIPS Council that it authorized the manufacture and export of the product to meet Rwanda's needs.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2007). Third Quarter 2007: Rwanda and Canada Leading the Implementation of the August 2003 Decision for Import/Export of Pharmaceuticals Produced under Compulsory License. https://www.ciel.org/reports/third-quarter-2007-rwanda-and-canada-leading-the-implementation-of-the-august-2003-decision-for-importexport-of-pharmaceuticals-produced-under-compulsory-license-2/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Third Quarter 2007: Rwanda and Canada Leading the Implementation of the August 2003 Decision for Import/Export of Pharmaceuticals Produced under Compulsory License. 2007. https://www.ciel.org/reports/third-quarter-2007-rwanda-and-canada-leading-the-implementation-of-the-august-2003-decision-for-importexport-of-pharmaceuticals-produced-under-compulsory-license-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Third Quarter 2007: Rwanda and Canada Leading the Implementation of the August 2003 Decision for Import/Export of Pharmaceuticals Produced under Compulsory License |date=1 September 2007 |url=https://www.ciel.org/reports/third-quarter-2007-rwanda-and-canada-leading-the-implementation-of-the-august-2003-decision-for-importexport-of-pharmaceuticals-produced-under-compulsory-license-2/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2007third, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Third Quarter 2007: Rwanda and Canada Leading the Implementation of the August 2003 Decision for Import/Export of Pharmaceuticals Produced under Compulsory License}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2007}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ciel.org/reports/third-quarter-2007-rwanda-and-canada-leading-the-implementation-of-the-august-2003-decision-for-importexport-of-pharmaceuticals-produced-under-compulsory-license-2/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }