Interest in both the health care and economic development aspects of traditional medicine has been increasing worldwide. As traditional knowledge - particularly the knowledge of traditional medicine and medicinal plants - could have an economic and trade value, more and more WHO Member States have become concerned with the need to protect it and to secure fair and equitable sharing of any benefits derived from it.

WHO initiated this inter-regional workshop, which took place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 6 to 8 December 2000 in cooperation with the WHO Regional Offices for the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia, and the Western Pacific. This Workshop was part of the follow-up to the implementation of WHO's revised drug strategy in connection with the monitoring and analysis of the effects of globalization on access to drugs. The WTO Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is currently revising Article 27.3 (b) of the TRIPS Agreement, which deals with the patentability of traditional knowledge.