Director General Pledges New Chapter in Cooperation with Peru and Heads of Latam IP Offices
October 6, 2022
During an official visit to Lima on October 4 – 5, WIPO Director General, Daren Tang, met with heads of IP offices, political leaders, business representatives, entrepreneurs, creators and indigenous communities and invited them to open a new chapter of IP and innovation driven growth together.
Drawing upon Peru's rich heritage of innovation and creativity, its global connectivity and status as one of the world's leading gastronomic centers, Mr. Tang stressed that Peru is well positioned to support its people and connect the world through IP.
Bilateral Talks
In talks with Prime Minister, Anibal Torres, Vice-President, Dina Boluarte, Minister of Foreign Affairs, César Landa, and Minister of International Trade and Tourism, Roberto Sánchez Palomino, the Director General pledged WIPO's full support as Peru takes further steps to support its innovators and creators.
The new strategy - in conjunction with other reforms - will help to transform IP from a vertical to a horizontal catalyst for jobs, investments, opportunities and growth.
As part of WIPO's work to support the use of IP to grow and develop, Mr. Tang briefed Ministers on how the Organization is assisting MSMEs, female entrepreneurs and communities in Peru. He also announced a new pilot project for the Awajun people - the second largest indigenous community in the Peruvian Amazon - which will support them to use IP to not just protect their traditional heritage but also take it to the world.
Heads of IP Office Meeting
Harnessing IP for economic growth and social vibrancy was also a key theme of the Director General’s address to a regional gathering of IP Office heads.
The event, which began on 4 October, brought together 16 Heads from across Latin America to swap ideas and share best practices. Mr. Tang declared that with trademark filings across the region growing, venture capital investments increasing and Latin America being a dynamic engine of the global creative economy, governments, businesses and communities across the region are paying attention to IP as never before.
The Director General pledged WIPO's ongoing support as IP Offices across Latin America continue their transformation journey, including through the creation of new projects that bring IP to the grassroots, unlocking IP financing for SMEs and supporting the uptake of WIPO's Madrid System for the international registration of trademarks across the region. Mr. Tang also led delegates in a wide-ranging and interactive dialogue on the developments that are shaping IP policy in Latin America.
IP for all
On October 5, the Director General participated in a special showcase organized by INDECOPI, the national IP office of Peru, which highlighted how IP is changing lives and lifting up communities across the country.
Alongside President Julián Palacin, Mr. Tang met female innovators, indigenous communities and young designers and creators who have benefited from INDECOPI's "Success Route" and "Ancestros" programs.
One of the highlights of the event saw Mr. Tang meet a group of schoolchildren from the Awajun Urakusa community to discuss how their book, Uchi Augmatui, is helping to celebrate and preserve their cultural heritage.
Mr. Tang told participants, "the work you are doing is inspiring and energizing us" and thanked INDECOPI "for reminding us that IP must always serve the people."
Enhanced Cooperation
On the margins of the visit, Mr. Tang signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Peru's prestigious Javier Perez de Cuéllar Diplomatic Academy to deliver an IP training program for diplomats and trade negotiators. The program will help a new generation of officials further Peru's interests at the nexus of innovation and trade.
Mr. Tang also met with the Confederation of Private Business Institutions (CONFIEP) and the National Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CONCYTEC). With CONFIEP, the Director General emphasized the importance of translating IP into commercial impact and urged the agency to explore new ways of partnering with WIPO to raise IP awareness amongst, and deliver business friendly IP tools to, the business community.
And with CONCYTEC, Mr. Tang underscored the progress that Peru is making in WIPO's Global Innovation Index, rising five places in this year's edition to 65th, and reaffirmed that WIPO stands ready to provide further assistance as Peru uses IP to translate research into impact.