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WIPO Pledges Support for Development Of Africa

Geneva, December 11, 2003
Press Updates UPD/2003/214

The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Dr. Kamil Idris, has reaffirmed the Organization's full support for the African Union (AU) to promote the economic, technological and social development of the continent. This came in a meeting between Dr. Idris and the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Professor Alpha Oumar Konaré, at WIPO's Geneva headquarters on December 10, 2003.

Dr. Idris and Professor Konaré discussed the strategic importance of intellectual property in promoting national economic objectives and agreed on the importance of the intellectual property system in advancing a country's national economic strategy. The meeting concluded with a commitment by WIPO to provide practical support to the AU in implementing its vision for the promotion of accelerated socio-economic integration of the continent. This will lead to greater unity and solidarity among African countries and peoples and to their improved competitiveness within the global marketplace.

Dr. Idris said that WIPO will provide assistance, notably technical and legal, to the AU to promote the establishment and implementation of national IP strategies within African countries to ensure that these countries are better placed to more effectively use the intellectual property system to stimulate economic growth, improve social well-being and enhance their cultural heritage. Both emphasized the importance of African ownership in formulating and applying initiatives to advance the development objectives of the continent.

Professor Konaré said the next five years were critical to African development. He said that a number of projects to catalyze the development of African nations would be launched within that time frame. Dr. Idris underlined the potential of the intellectual property system as a powerful tool for economic, social, cultural and technological development. He expressed confidence that the new WIPO-AU partnership would help in this process.

In addition, Professor Konaré accepted an invitation by Dr. Idris to become a member of the WIPO Policy Advisory Commission (PAC). The PAC includes eminent personalities in the fields of politics, diplomacy, law and public administration. It is an advisory body that is mandated to enhance WIPO's capacity to monitor and respond in a timely, informed and effective manner to international and regional developments in intellectual property, information technology and other fields bearing on WIPO's operations and policy environment and advises the Director General on policy issues relating to intellectual property. The last meeting of the PAC in November endorsed the vision of Dr. Idris to use intellectual property as a tool for economic, social and cultural development and discussed the importance of cultural industries to national economies and the strategic exploitation of intellectual property for development (for more information, please consult Update 2003/208). The PAC includes a number of sitting and former Presidents and heads of government.

For further information, please contact the Media Relations and Public Affairs Section at WIPO:

  • Tel: (+41 22) 338 81 61 or (+41 22) 338 95 47;
  • E-mail: publicinf@wipo.int
  • Fax: (+41 22) 338 88 10.