Director General Tang Participates in Least Developed Countries Conference in Qatar
March 5, 2023
Director General Daren Tang participated in the Fifth United Nations Conference for Least Developed Countries (LDC5) during a March 3 to 5, 2023, visit to Qatar, where he met senior Government officials from Qatar and other countries.
In a bilateral meeting with Mr. Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Qassim Al-Abdullah Al-Thani, Minister of Commerce and Industry of Qatar, the Director General praised Qatar for placing intellectual property (IP) and innovation at the heart of its Vision 2030 and as a means to achieve economic goals such as economic diversification. The Director General noted that Qatar had created an environment where IP can flourish and promote Qatar’s global excellence in infrastructure and services.
Minister Al-Thani underlined that the growth of new industries such as information and communication technology (ICT) and semiconductors necessitated the use of IP tools in a more holistic and strategic manner. The country was also looking to harness IP to build its regional presence as a hub for innovation and connectivity, said the Minister.
Mr. Tang stressed that WIPO stood ready to support Qatar in building its institutional IP framework and policies to support entrepreneurs, particularly in the tech industry. The Director General also noted that WIPO stood ready to advance its excellent relationship with a number of Qatari institutions, including Qatar Development Bank and Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), while further helping build the IP skills of businesses and innovators.
The Director General and the Minister also discussed the various challenges and opportunities placed on the IP system with the growth of AI-based applications and technologies.
In a meeting with Mr. Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, Minister of State, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZA), the Director General praised the QFZA for moving beyond logistics to innovation and digitization and for supporting over 350 companies to flourish.
Mr. Al Sayed noted that the upgrading of IP regulations in the free zone area would further support businesses to translate their IP into commercially viable products. The Director General and Mr. Al Sayed also discussed possible ways to harness WIPO’s expertise in areas such as alternative dispute resolutions through WIPO’s Arbitration and Mediation Center and the development of IP skills and knowledge to support companies, especially in the technology sector to capture value from their creations and innovations.
During the course of the visit where he participated in the LDC5 conference, Mr. Tang also met with Ms. Rabab Fatima, Under-Secretary-General and UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS.)
Director General Tang emphasized that WIPO is increasingly providing enhanced and special support to least developed countries by delivering tailored impact-driven assistance to leverage IP as a powerful catalyst for jobs, investments, economic development.
WIPO’s two new initiatives to support LDCs for implementing the Doha Programme of Action will focus on developing enabling eco-systems for innovation and creativity, and building the skills and capacity of all IP stakeholders including SMEs, innovators, creators, researchers, women, youth and indigenous communities.
The High Representative expressed her appreciation of WIPO’s new direction as enshrined in its Medium-Term Strategic Plan. As 16 LDCs are on the way to graduation, and another 13 LDCs will follow this path, “WIPO Graduation Support Package for Least Developed Countries (LDCs)” launched last year is timely, she said.
During a pre-conference event with United Nations Secretary General António Guterres and other U.N. principals, Mr. Tang provided an overview of WIPO’s specific support packages for LDCs and underscored that the ambitions of the Doha Programme for Action need to quickly become reality.
To contribute to the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action, WIPO is now stepping up its assistance for the Least Developed Countries to use IP as a tool for growth and development, he said.
As an example, he noted that in Uganda WIPO has assisted 70 women entrepreneurs to use IP to brand and commercialize their products through mentorship program that is now being extended to Cambodia and Sudan. In Ethiopia, a project on IP for traditional medicine practitioners is supporting 84 practitioners to develop their products through trademark registration.
Mr. Tang called on the U.N. family to translate plans into action by working together in concrete, practical and impactful ways for the benefit of LDCs.
On the sidelines of the LDC5, Mr. Tang met with Ms. Esperança Maria Eduardo Francisco da Costa, Vice-President of the Republic of Angola. The Director General noted that WIPO is now ready to start implementing the country-specific support program for Angola under the LDC graduation package.
The Vice President underlined that Angola seeks increased collaboration with WIPO on the promotion of science, technology and innovation, which are key for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She pointed out the need to find ways to exploit effectively the rich biological resources that the country possesses. There are local communities with a wealth of traditional knowledge on utilizing biological resources and biodiversity for traditional medicine and for meeting various daily needs, she said.
In this context, the Vice President cited Angola’s need to make progress on using technologies for extracting nutrition and medical components from such natural resources and bringing more economic yields for the country. She highlighted that innovation can help resolve many developmental needs and challenges in Angola - in food security, services sector and industrial development. Partnership with WIPO can provide skills and capacity building for young researchers of the country, she said.
The Director General reiterated that in addition to the specific projects included in the country-specific graduation support for Angola, WIPO stands ready to provide trainings on geographical indications and plant variety protection through WIPO Academy, which is world’s largest IP training institution.
The Director General also met with Mr. Simplex Chithyola Banda, Minister of Trade and Industry of Malawi, in which Mr. Tang shared WIPO’s mission that places a strong emphasis on bringing IP to grassroot stakeholders, in particular to the business community, young innovators, women, small and medium-sized enterprises and others.
The Minister noted that IP forms a critical part in the “Malawi Vision 2063” - a long-term roadmap for country’s development. In particular, he noted the importance of WIPO’s support for enhancing the country’s capacity for local industrialization.
Both Mr. Tang and Mr. Banda underlined the necessity to explore the possibilities of cooperation to make IP as a key driving force for economic growth of Malawi. In this context, the Director General expressed WIPO’s readiness to support Malawi in this endeavor.
In a meeting with Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, the Director General said that WIPO stands ready to support Bangladesh in its preparation for graduation from the LDC category. The potential country-specific projects he mentioned included specific projects on IP for women entrepreneurs, SMEs and others. Mr. Tang noted that WIPO is increasingly working on bringing IP closer to developing countries and LDCs.
Foreign Minister Abdul Momen underlined the need for increased awareness raising about the potential benefits of IP among various stakeholders and IP education, in particular for the private sector.
He noted the potential of IP in unleashing the innovation and creativity of younger generations. In this regard, the country’s initiatives for inclusive digital transformation under “Smart Bangladesh 2041 Vision” can make IP closer to everyday life of young people.
The Director General said that beyond policy and legislative assistance, WIPO is pioneering new ways of delivering IP capacity building to stakeholders on the ground. For instance, WIPO is assisting youth in use IP for commercializing their works of innovation and creations. There is also an ongoing project for branding for the Black Tiger Shrimp industry. WIPO will assist Bangladesh under a project to support women entrepreneurs’ use of IP to improve the branding and packaging of their individual products.
Mr. Tang also noted that the WIPO Academy has shifted its focus to deliver practical skills with trainings on “IP for Tourism,” “IP for Exporters” and IP for Diplomats and Trade Negotiators.”
The two sides agreed to work together towards a country-specific graduation support for Bangladesh, including projects and trainings with focus on practical skills on using IP for growth and product commercialization.