Director General Daren Tang wraps up Official Visit to Portugal
May 31, 2023
On May 30, 2023, WIPO Director General Daren Tang wrapped up a two-day visit to Portugal, where he met senior Government officials and opened a conference by emphasizing the significant role of intellectual property (IP) in driving innovation toward the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In an opening address at the International Conference on Industrial Property and the Sustainable Development Goals, which was co-hosted by the Portuguese Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) and WIPO on 29 May 2023, Mr. Tang underlined WIPO's aim of using intellectual property as a vital tool for achieving the SDGs.
“Our belief is that IP is part of the solution to our common global challenges, and that it can be a powerful catalyst for growth and development, as well as an important tool for translating great ideas into impact that will help us meet the SDGs and leave no one behind,” said Mr. Tang.
He also announced that the theme of next year's World Intellectual Property Day will be 'Intellectual Property and the SDGs.”
Hundreds of representatives from 85-plus countries joined the May 29-30, 2023, conference in Lisbon that focused on how intellectual property - such as patents, trademarks, industrial designs and others that promote innovation and economic and social development - can serve as a powerful enabler across all 17 SDGs.
Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa closed the conference, saying: “Industrial property is a very important tool for sustainable economic development. It allows for the continuation of economic activities that would otherwise disappear. It also creates a strong impetus for innovation in strengthening the legal protection for creativity and inventions, and for enhancing relations between academia and business.”
Bilateral Meetings
The Director General held a bilateral meeting with Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). They exchanged views on the need to enhance the understanding of IP as a force for good to support Agenda 2030 and the UN sustainable development goals, as well as increase the visibility of WIPO’s work on IP and innovation within several UN processes taking place in New York.
He pledged that WIPO would increase its engagement and support to Resident Coordinators (RCs) as a member of the UN Sustainable Development Group for benefit of the UN development system.
The Director General also met with senior government officials from Portugal, including Catarina Sarmento e Castro, Minister of Justice of Portugal, Pedro Adão e Silva, Minister of Culture, and Ana Bandeira, President of the Portuguese Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) during which Portugal’s role as a connector and trusted partner for building bridges with the Lusophone commonwealth and the rest of the world was recognized.
In discussion with Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) President Rogério Colaço and Vice-President Pedro Amaral, Mr. Tang underscored the role that universities play in connecting R&D with industry and invited IST to explore further partnerships with WIPO, including through the WIPO Academy.
Mr. Tang assured WIPO’s commitment to increase support to key innovation ecosystem stakeholders, especially women innovators and entrepreneurs in Portugal and the wider Lusophone community, in order to bring innovation and sustainability initiatives to the next level.
In discussions with the Atlantic International Research Centre (AIR Center) and the PT Space Agency, Mr. Tang agreed to expand WIPO’s capacity-building offerings to support Portugal’s incubator and start-up ecosystems.