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In 2016, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Italian Agency of Development Cooperation and the Permanent Mission of Italy in Geneva, initiated discussions with WIPO with a view to earmarking residual funds contributed by that Ministry under the Italian Trust Fund for cooperation activities in selected countries and in substantive areas of priority interest. After internal coordination with the Regional Bureaus, Bolivia was finally identified as a country of priority interest for Italy. Taking into account that the Government of Bolivia also identified the development and promotion of local geographical indications (GIs) as a substantive area of national priority interest, and requested WIPO’s technical assistance in related capacity-building activities, the LAC Bureau promptly agreed with Italy’s proposal to cooperate with Bolivia, using the contribution of the Italian Trust Fund.
Discussions between WIPO and the governments of both Italy and Bolivia were pursued throughout 2016, finally reaching a consensus on the use of available Italian funds for the organization of a national workshop aimed at raising awareness among producers of leading origin-linked products in Bolivia on the protection of GIs, Appellations of Origin, collective and certification marks, at the national, international and regional (especially EU) levels. Relevant correspondence on the exchanges and negotiations leading to this initiative is attached for reference, i.e. a) note verbale from the Permanent Mission of Bolivia, dated May 27, 2016; b) note verbale from the Permanent Mission of Italy, dated January 4, 2017; and c) email exchanges with the Permanent Mission of Italy, dated June, September and December 2016).
The workshop will also provide the opportunity to share experiences on the development and implementation of GI schemes in Bolivia, as well as in other countries with a successful history of GI promotion, notably Italy, Mexico, Honduras and Peru.
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