India hosts first ever international meet on IPR Development Agenda
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Dr. R. K. Dhawan, President, NIPO and Chairman, FIEO(NR) addressing the meet. |
India hosted the first-ever International Meeting on ‘Intellectual Property and Development: Issues Related to the Development Agenda’ at New Delhi. The 3-day meeting from 5 to 7 February 2007 was organised by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and National Intellectual Property Organisation (NIPO).
While inaugurating the meeting, Dr. Ajay Dua, Secretary (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry underlined the importance of working out an actionable plan to mainstream development into the agenda of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) to address IPR-related concerns of developing countries. The proposal to establish a Development Agenda for the WIPO is one of the most important initiatives taken by developing countries to ensure that the international intellectual property system evolves in a manner which is favourable for developing countries and reflects their concerns. At present, there are 111 proposals made by WIPO member countries on what should constitute the Development Agenda. Suggesting a way forward, Dr. Dua stressed the need for consolidating the diverse proposals into a cohesive doable agenda and expressed hope that by facilitating exchange of views and perspectives on the proposed constituents of the Agenda, the meeting would help in promoting a better understanding of these issues and facilitate the process of building a consensus among WIPO member countries.
Around 22 countries representing both the developed and developing world participated in this important event. They included Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, UK and USA. Besides Mr. Dua, Mr. Sherif Saadullah from WIPO and Mr. NN Prasad, Jt. Secretary DIPP were among the important dignitaries who participated in this meeting.
"The very fact that this meeting is being held in India is a reflection of the importance that is attached to India and the commitment of the Government of India to the key issue of using intellectual property for economic, social and cultural development, the deliberations on which would, I’m sure, contribute greatly to the two meetings of the PCDA scheduled later this year," said Dr. R. K. Dhawan, President, NIPO while proposing the vote of thanks. He thanked Dr Dua, Mr. Sherif Saadullah and others for gracing the occasion and sharing with this august audience their visions of how intellectual property could be used for growth and development. He also thanked Mr. Prasad and his team for the hard work and diligence in organizing the meeting. Dr. Dhawan, who is also the Northern Region Chairman of FIEO, expressed his gratitude to WIPO for granting observer status to NIPO.
