This International Forum on "Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge: Our Identity, Our Future" which is held under the Patronage of His Highness Sayyid Faisal Bin Ali Al Said is being organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Government of the Sultanate of Oman. Participation will be at the ministerial level, namely the Ministers responsible for culture and/or intellectual property matters.
The theme of the Forum is traditional knowledge. Traditional knowledge, including folklore, is a rich and diverse source of creativity and innovation. It often transmits the history, cultural identity and patrimony, beliefs, ethics, and traditions and heritage of a particular people. The continuous adaptation, creation and dissemination of traditional knowledge could result in commercial benefits for local communities and thus represent an important economic asset for their future. Moreover, the role of intellectual property rights in the conservation, management, sustainable utilization, commercialization and dissemination of traditional knowledge has been accentuated by the globalization of markets, rapid advances in new technology and the growing value of intellectual commodities as cultural assets in a knowledge-based economy.
The objective of the International Forum is to provide policy makers and senior government officials with the opportunity to exchange views and share experiences, at the highest level, on the social, cultural and economic dimensions of the protection of traditional knowledge. The distinguished special guests who will address the Forum will raise issues relating to national endeavors in preservation and promotion of traditional knowledge; the relevance of applying the intellectual property system for the protection of traditional knowledge; the exploitation of the intellectual property system as a means for the generation of valuable traditional knowledge assets; and examine how best indigenous and local communities could use the intellectual property system for wealth creation.
The working languages will be English, Arabic and French with simultaneous interpretation. The issues that will be addressed are set out in the provisional program of the Forum.
Background materials on the Forum, including a WIPO Note on Traditional Knowledge, the Provisional Program and the Invited Speakers and Participating Countries and Organizations are available on this site.
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Muscat,
January 21 and 22, 2002
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