In a major initiative on the Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) front, India is hosting the first-ever International Meeting on Intellectual Property and Development: Issues Related to the Development Agenda. The 3-day (5-7 February) meeting, which is organised by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and National Intellectual Property Organisation (NIPO) was inaugurated here this morning by Dr. Ajay Dua, Secretary (IPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
In his inaugural address, Dr. Dua underlined the importance of working out an actionable plan to mainstream development into the agenda of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) to address IPR-related concerns of developing countries. The proposal to establish a Development Agenda for the WIPO is one of the most important initiatives taken by developing countries to ensure that the international intellectual property system evolves in a manner which is favourable for developing countries and reflects their concerns. At present, there are 111 proposals made by WIPO member countries on what should constitute the Development Agenda. Suggesting a way forward, Dr. Dua stressed the need for consolidating the diverse proposals into a cohesive doable agenda and expressed the hope that by facilitating exchange of views and perspectives on the proposed constituents of the Agenda, the meeting would help in promoting a better understanding of these issues, and facilitate the building of a consensus among member countries of WIPO.
Around 22 countries representing both the developed and developing world are participating in this important event including Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, UK and USA.
Spread over the next 2 days, there will be presentations by distinguished international and national participants on the following themes representing key elements of the proposed Development Agenda viz., Technical Assistance and Capacity Building; Flexibilities, Public Policy and Public Domain; Technology Transfer, ICT and Access to Knowledge; Assessments, Evaluation and Impact Studies; and Institutional Matters including Mandate and Governance.
*********
SB/NR/MRS
(Release ID :24560)