191 countries elected Vietnam to hold the position of Chairman of the WIPO General Assembly

On October 2, the 49th General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) opened in Geneva, Switzerland, with the participation of 191 WIPO member states. The Vietnamese delegation to WIPO this time was led by Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Cong Tac.

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung at the meeting of the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). (Photo: Hoang Hoa/VNA)

In the first session, representatives of 191 countries unanimously elected Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, Head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other international organizations in Geneva, to hold the position of Chairman of the WIPO General Assembly for the 2018-2019 term.

Ambassador, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation in Geneva Duong Chi Dung is the candidate representing countries in the Asia-Pacific Group, a region that has not had a representative to assume the position of President of the WIPO General Assembly for more than 12 years.

Mr. Duong Chi Dung shared that his election as President of WIPO with the absolute support of 191 member countries shows the trust and support of these countries for Vietnam, a country that is actively developing and deeply integrating internationally with an increasingly high position and role in the international arena, as a result of the activities and positive contributions of the Vietnamese Delegation in Geneva and the Ambassador himself to the common work of WIPO in recent times.

In addition, Ambassador Duong Chi Dung emphasized that it is necessary to mention the active advocacy of the Vietnamese Delegation to the close relationship and solidarity between countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific region in supporting the Vietnamese candidate. In addition, the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is also an important factor contributing to this proud event.

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung also emphasized that Vietnam's candidacy and election as President of WIPO is to continue to actively and proactively implement the policy of strengthening and promoting the country's multilateral foreign policy, so that Vietnam is not only a responsible participant but also an active member with positive and practical contributions to specific activities as well as in building policies, regulations and rules of the game at multilateral organizations and forums.

The WIPO General Assembly, established in 1967, is one of the 16 specialized agencies of the United Nations, headed by Dr. Francis Gurry as Director General. WIPO is responsible for adopting important decisions of the organization, including the appointment of the Director General, reviewing and adopting the Director General's reports and the Coordination Committee's reports, approving the biennial budgets of WIPO's member unions, reviewing and adopting measures proposed by the Director General related to the administration of international treaties on intellectual property, etc.

The President of the General Assembly shall preside over the annual WIPO General Assembly meetings during his term of office, thereby leading and orienting discussions, deciding on voting on issues and announcing decisions... If necessary, the President of the General Assembly shall organize consultations with representatives of regional groups and representatives of member countries of regional groups to discuss and find solutions to important issues and unresolved problems within the framework of WIPO.

The next two years are a time of many opportunities but also many challenges for WIPO and the world intellectual property system, specifically the rapid development of science and technology, the globalization process, and especially the fourth industrial revolution, which will have a great impact on the intellectual property system in terms of management and policy, including the development of international standards to meet new needs and demands for protection, intellectual property...

In addition, during this period, WIPO must focus on resolving existing issues such as negotiating and developing international agreements on the protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and traditional forms of cultural expression; the Treaty on the Protection of Broadcasting Organizations, and the opening of WIPO representative offices in member countries...

WIPO is Vietnam’s first and most important partner in international cooperation on intellectual property. To date, WIPO has provided Vietnam with important assistance in law-making, capacity building and modernization of the intellectual property management system, human resource training, and raising public awareness of intellectual property. WIPO’s assistance has made an important contribution to the development of Vietnam’s intellectual property system.

Vietnam's achievements and efforts in economic development, science, technology, creating a favorable investment and business environment, encouraging innovation, etc. have contributed significantly to improving Vietnam's position in the Global Innovation Index (GII) published annually by WIPO.

This year, Vietnam ranked 47th in the GII, up 12 places compared to 2016. WIPO has been supporting Vietnam with measures to maintain and continue to improve Vietnam's ranking in the GII in the following years.

In the process of building and developing cooperative relations with WIPO, the Vietnamese Delegation in Geneva has established a close and trustworthy cooperative relationship with WIPO, performing the function of a direct contact with WIPO to handle professional issues as requested and directed by competent authorities in a timely and effective manner to maximally protect national interests in general and Vietnamese enterprises in particular./.

According to VNN