The Review of Regional Policy Instruments, Developments and Trends has been designed to complement the base Learning Module, and as a trainer’s tool, it is complete with region-specific agreements, trends analysis, hand-outs, overheads, case studies and group exercises for four regions: Latin America; Sub-Saharan Africa; Central and West Asia and North Africa; and developing countries of Asia, the Pacific and Oceania.
Trainers should allow one day for a regional exercise. The approach, format and components are very similar to the base module. Note that the regional learning plan is intended to be used together with the base Learning Module, which is ideal for the effectiveness of the learning process. However, the module is also a flexible tool that will allow regions and countries to focus their attention on specific sessions (or issues within them) if they so wish. Sometimes, groups will simply not have six full days available to go through a comprehensive learning workshop. In other circumstances, regions or countries may have more specific thematic needs and interests. In this event, the modular sessions of the base Learning Module and the regional learning plans can be either adapted and/or combined to suit these needs, or used independently from one another, depending on the level of understanding (and interests) countries and regions have.
The regional learning plan, however, should not be used in isolation from the base Learning Module. For example, for those countries or regions wishing to concentrate on issues most related to access and benefit-sharing, sessions 2–5, 9 and 11 of the base Learning Module cover the main provisions and implications of the International Treaty on PGRFA and the CBD; they can be done in two and one half to three days—4 days with the regional component. For those wishing to focus on issues of intellectual property rights, Sessions 6 through 8 address the TRIPS Agreement, UPOV, pertinent WIPO treaties, general trends in intellectual property rights and participatory plant breeding, and can be covered in slightly less than two days, or three days with the regional component.
Trainers should refer to the sections Information for trainers, Background to organize a learning workshop.