Experts Selected for the Independent Review of the Implementation of Development Agenda Recommendations

May 13, 2015

Following the approval of the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Independent Review of the Implementation of Development Agenda Recommendations by the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) in its Fourteenth session, the following experts have been selected:

Mr. V.K Gupta, Team Leader

V.K Gupta, formerly Senior Advisor and Director TKDL Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India has held various senior level positions in Government of India. Some of the key positions held are:

Founder Director, National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (CSIR-NISCAIR),
Director, SAARC Documentation Center,
Deputy Director General, National Informatics Center, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, etc. At professional level his areas of expertise have been evaluating large and complex projects of national and international importance, substantive aspects of large databases, Intellectual Property Rights, Traditional knowledge, Bio-diversity, among others.

Mr. Pedro Roffe, IP and Development Expert

Pedro Roffe’s work has focused on international negotiations, strategies and policies of international aspects of transfer of technology, intellectual property and foreign direct investment. He has advised governments, international organizations and private firms. In his various capacities he has published articles and books and has been responsible for a number of collective publications. He graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Universidad de Chile and completed postgraduate studies at New York University, Europa Institute (University of Amsterdam) and the Graduate Institute of International Studies (Geneva).

Mr. Gift Huggins Sibanda, IP and Technical Assistance Expert

Gift Huggins Sibanda is a former Director General of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO). Currently he is the Managing Director of Imperial Intellectual Property Investments for Africa (3eyes). He is a holder of Master’s Degree in Law, having specialized in Criminal and Civil Law with Intellectual Property as a special component. He is currently a member of the Academic Staff at the Africa University (AU) in Mutare Zimbabwe, Deputy Chairman of the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe and Chairing its Committee for Programs, Presidential Appointee as a Board Member of the Scientific and Industrial Research Development Centre (SIRDC) and Chairman of its Development and Business Committee.