WIPO Director General Pledges Support to Strengthen Innovation Ecosystem in Guatemala; Attends Ministerial Meeting
October 21, 2024
WIPO Director General Daren Tang concluded a three-day official visit to Guatemala on October 20, 2024 where he met President Bernardo Arévalo, senior officials and other stakeholders for talks on strengthening the country’s innovation system. During his visit, Mr. Tang also attended a meeting of Ministers responsible for intellectual property (IP) from Central America and the Dominican Republic.
In his meeting with President Arévalo, Mr. Tang pledged WIPO’s support to implement projects that empower indigenous communities, women and youth — recognizing their critical role in preserving cultural heritage and driving innovation. They underscored the importance of protecting the traditional knowledge and creative expressions of Guatemala’s Indigenous Peoples through diverse means, including IP rights.
In particular, the Director General said projects would be designed to generate tangible impact for Indigenous Peoples — such as textile weavers, artisans, traditional medicine practitioners and community-led tourism ventures. The focus will be on leveraging IP for sustainable development, social inclusion and economic growth.
One of the key priorities, as highlighted by the President, will be to collaborate with the tourism sector to empower women in traditional weaving communities, ensuring their skills and cultural heritage are not only preserved but also serve as engines for economic empowerment and sustainable tourism.
Responding to the President’s concerns about biopiracy, the Mr. Tang reiterated WIPO’s commitment to raising awareness and promoting the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge (GRTK Treaty).
Meeting with Dr. Rigoberta Menchú Tum, 1992 Nobel Peace Prize Winner
The Director General met with Dr. Rigoberta Menchú Tum, the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. During their discussion, he acknowledged the central role of Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala’s cultural identity, highlighting their rich traditions, textiles and deep connection to nature. He outlined WIPO’s focus on empowering women and youth from indigenous communities through IP, citing projects like the Quilombola initiative in Brazil and WIPO’s Training and Mentoring Program for Women Entrepreneurs.
The Director General discussed the significance of the new GRTK Treaty adopted in May 2024, a groundbreaking step toward protecting Indigenous rights, which holds relevance for Guatemala. Dr. Menchú Tum emphasized the systemic challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples, sharing her foundation's mission to safeguard their legacy and support their well-being. She expressed strong interest in the Treaty and potential projects benefiting Indigenous women.
Meetings with Other Stakeholders
The Director General visited the atelier of Ms. Isabella Springmühl Tejada, an inspirational fashion designer born with Down Syndrome. Ms. Springmühl Tejada, who is also an inclusion advocate, is a successful entrepreneur despite societal challenges. She is celebrated for designing clothing that is both stylish and inclusive, with a particular focus on making garments that accommodate people with disabilities.
Mr. Tang expressed admiration for her inspirational and motivational journey, emphasizing her role as a symbol of inclusion and empowerment. As a result, he conveyed interest in involving Ms. Springmühl Tejada in future IP awareness campaigns, focusing on promoting inclusion and gender empowerment, leveraging her position as a role model.
During his visit, the Director General also participated in a discussion at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), the country’s leading technology institution. He met with young engineering and science students and heard about their groundbreaking research and innovative projects, including the ambitious design of Guatemala’s first satellite, Quetzal-1.
The Director General praised UVG for not only being a hub of innovation and technology but also for fostering a human-centered learning environment that promotes student collaboration and merges creative disciplines to enhance innovation. He highlighted the notable achievement of having over 30% of engineering students and 60% of science students being women, setting a strong example for gender diversity in STEM fields.
In addition, Mr. Tang shared WIPO’s new vision, emphasizing projects that focus on impactful outcomes by helping students and innovators understand and integrate IP into their development process. Moving beyond mere registration, WIPO’s approach aims to facilitate the valorization and commercialization of research, ensuring that ideas are transformed into market-ready solutions. These interactions with Guatemala’s next generation of innovators reaffirmed WIPO’s commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and technology transfer in the country.
Ministerial Meeting
On October 18, the Director General attended the VIII Meeting of Ministers from Central America and the Dominican Republic, hosted by Guatemala and taking place at the National Palace. This event brought together WIPO, Ministers responsible for IP and registrars from the IP offices of each country in the subregion.
The exchange with the Ministers provided each country an opportunity to present success stories relating to projects and initiatives that are delivering tangible impact and improving the lives of citizens across the subregion. The theme for this year, "Intellectual Property as a Cross-Cutting Axis of Development," served as a basis for a dynamic dialogue between Mr. Tang and the Ministers. Together, they analyzed global IP trends and explored how to adapt these to local contexts, contributing to the region’s sustainable development.
The Director General presented the progress report on the cooperation initiatives and projects with the region, highlighting significant advancements. The report included the successful conclusion of three major projects, which further strengthened the collaboration between the Organization and regional stakeholders:
- Project on Subregional Action Plan for the Creative Industries
- Project on IP and Gastronomic Tourism
- Project on the Use of the IP System as a Source of Financing for Entrepreneurs and MSMEs
These projects have contributed to enhancing the region's capacity in key areas, aligning with the strategic objectives set by Ministers from the subregion.
This inter-ministerial forum and WIPO’s international collaboration represents an innovative model for shaping IP policies that foster both economic and social growth. WIPO takes pride in being a key player in the ongoing evolution of this important forum, which continues to shape the future of IP-driven development in the subregion.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration, which established a clear blueprint for future strategic cooperation in the field of IP. It outlines concrete steps for deepening collaboration between the countries of Central America and the Dominican Republic and WIPO, focusing on leveraging IP as a key driver for innovation, economic growth, and social development.
By aligning efforts and sharing best practices, the Declaration ensures a unified subregional approach to addressing both global IP challenges and local opportunities, setting the stage for sustained impact in the subregion.
On the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, the Director General also held a series of bilateral meetings with Ministers and other senior officials which provided an opportunity to take stock and explore future collaboration.
The Ministers and high-level officials present at the meeting were:
- Costa Rica: Mr. Gerald Campos Valverde, Minister of Justice and Peace
- El Salvador: Ms. María Luisa Hayem, Minister of Economy
- Guatemala: Ms. Gabriela García -Quinn, Minister of Economy
- Honduras: Mr. Fredis Alonso Cerrato Valladares, Secretary of State for Economic Development
- Nicaragua: Mr. Erwin Vicente Ramírez Colindres, Deputy Minister General, Ministry of Development, Industry and Commerce
- Panama: Mr. Eduardo Arango Pérez, Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- Dominican Republic: Ms. Vilma I. Arbaje de Contreras, Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and SMEs