Heads of Agencies “Seal the Deal” on Sidelines of Conference on IP & Public Policy Issues

Geneva, July 14, 2009
PR/2009/593

The heads of five international organizations joined an international campaign this week to galvanize public support for a successful outcome to UN-sponsored climate change negotiations by signing a global petition addressed to world leaders.  

WHO’s Margaret Chan, WIPO’s Francis Gurry, WMO’s Michel Jarraud, WTO’s Pascal Lamy, IFAD’s Kanayo F. Nwanze, as well as Britain’s Minister for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, Mr. David Lammy, dipped the “People’s Seal” in ink and added their stamp to the global petition.   The “Seal the Deal” campaign encourages users to sign an online, global petition, which will be presented to world leaders at the meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen in December 2009. The petition will serve as a reminder that world leaders must negotiate a fair, balanced and effective agreement in Copenhagen, and that they must seal a deal to power green growth, protect the planet and build a more sustainable, prosperous global economy that will benefit all nations and all people.  

In a separate statement in support of the campaign, Mr. Gurry said, “the power of human ingenuity is our best hope for restoring the delicate balance between ourselves and our environment. It is our greatest asset in finding solutions to this global challenge, enabling us to move forward from the carbon-based, grey technologies of the past to the carbon-neutral, green innovation of the future. That is why WIPO is supporting the Seal the Deal Campaign. We encourage all governments to work together to seal the deal on a fair, balanced and effective climate agreement in Copenhagen in December 2009.”   

The Conference on Intellectual Property and Public Policy Issues, hosted by WIPO from July 13-14, 2009 is exploring the specific contribution that IP can make in supporting a range of public policy objectives. The inter-disciplinary nature of the Conference reflects the complexity of the shared challenges that the international community is facing, including climate change, epidemics, public health, food security and the preservation of biodiversity.  The Conference is a platform for participants to exchange views on these issues and to improve understanding by all stakeholders of how IP can contribute to development and technology transfer. Presentations and podcasts are available at: https://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/2009/ip_gc_ge/program.html.