About 70 ministers from around the world, who have participated on 20-21 September in the Meeting of High Level Segment of the General Assembly of the WIPO Member States (Geneva, Switzerland), shared their national experience with reference to the role of intellectual property in promoting innovation, growth and development, reaffirming their commitment to IP in support of these objectives.
At the opening of the Meeting of High Level Segment, which this year is held under the theme "Innovation, Growth and Development: The Role of Intellectual Property and National Experience in this Field", the Ambassador Alberto Dumont, President of the WIPO General Assembly, Permanent Representative of Argentina to the UNO and other international organizations in Geneva, declared that the importance of knowledge and intellectual property throughout human history is undoubted. This, he said, was a key factor in "creating our cultures and societies", influencing the daily life of all citizens. He stressed the need for a constructive cooperation to find creative solutions to the existing problems in order to ensure a balanced evolution of the IP system, in support of innovation and creativity.
The importance of innovation and creativity in promoting the created goods, in stimulating new production sectors, has been a common theme in the statements of the participants. According to them, IP plays a vital and essential role in economic development. It is remarkable the importance of developing national strategies to serve as a roadmap to effective management of IP assets with a view to growth and development. Ministers emphasized the value of IP, which contributes to the solution of challenges their countries and the world are facing with.
It was noted that a balanced system of IP is a means to create a safe environment for investment in the process of creativity and innovation. IP has a key role in achieving the UNO program "Millennium Development Goals" and the successful implementation of the recommendations of the WIPO Development Agenda.
Ministers declared they would continue to support the efforts to strengthen the national and regional systems of IP and WIPO will reduce the gap of knowledge, including in the field of information technology by automation of offices and extensive use of databases.
At the Meeting of the High Level Segment of the General Assembly of the WIPO Member States, the Republic of Moldova was represented by Mr. Dorin RECEAN, Vice-Minister of Information Technologies and Communications, which supported the Government's position opposite the Agenda under discussion.
In his speech at the opening meeting, Mr. Francis Gurry, Director General of WIPO, emphasized the paramount importance of IP for innovation, growth and economic development, as well as significant changes in the innovation.
The famous composer and singer Stevie Wonder, in his address to the audience, asked the international community to increase accessibility for persons with visual impairment to works protected by copyright.
Additional Information:
http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2010/article_0036.html
http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2010/article_0030.html