WIPO Director General Meets Prime Minister of Singapore

Geneva, July 28, 2009
PR/2009/598

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WIPO DG meets Singapore PM*

At a meeting on July 28, 2009, WIPO Director General, Mr. Francis Gurry and the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, discussed issues relating to Asia’s growing importance in the international intellectual property system, WIPO’s capacity building activities in the South East Asian region, climate change and the role of intellectual property, and the role of balanced national intellectual property regimes in promoting development and growth. The Director General and the Prime Minister emphasized the fruitful cooperation between WIPO and Singapore, as evidenced by the recent strengthening of the WIPO Singapore Office.

Mr. Gurry, who is on an official visit to Singapore, described Singapore as an excellent model for establishing a close correlation between the strategic use of intellectual property and economic development. He added that the WIPO Singapore Office, drawing on Singapore’s excellent infrastructure, would also enable WIPO to engage closely with other countries in the region, understand their needs and provide targeted and effective development assistance.

Earlier in the day, the Director General signed an agreement with Singapore to establish the Singapore Office of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, and a memorandum of understanding to establish the international WIPO Mediation and Arbitration Scheme for Film Related Disputes to be developed by WIPO and Singapore.

Following the meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. Gurry delivered an address at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy on “Challenges for Multilateralism in the Context of Intellectual Property”. The Director General underlined that a balanced international intellectual property architecture could only be achieved through inclusive multilateral solutions.

* Photo : Singapore Ministry of Information, Communication and Arts

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