Director General Concludes Round of Meetings with Top Tunisian Officials

Geneva, June 9, 2010
PR/2010/646

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry concluded on June 8, 2010 a two-day official visit to Tunisia during which he met Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi to discuss the role of intellectual property (IP) in stimulating innovation and development and ways to strengthen cooperation between WIPO and Tunisia.

An agreement laying out a framework for collaboration between WIPO and Tunisia over the next two years was signed with Foreign Minister Kamal Morjane. Mr. Gurry also signed a letter of intent with the Director or the National Institute for Standardization and Industrial Property (INNORPI) for WIPO’s support in establishing a National Academy for Intellectual Property.

The Director General also met with the Minister of Culture and Heritage Preservation, Mr. Abderraouf Basti and Secretary of State for Renewable Energy and Food Industries, Mr. Abdelaziz Rassa.

Talks with Tunisian officials focused on how the nation can best exploit the IP system for economic and cultural development, as well as ways in which WIPO can support national efforts to strengthen the country’s IP capacity. The Director General emphasized the importance of IP as a driver of economic development and applauded the Tunisian Government’s commitment to strengthening its national IP systems.