Achieve Universal Primary Education
Target 2.A:
Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling
2.1 Net enrolment ratio in primary education
2.2 Proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach last grade of primary
2.3 Literacy rate of 15-24 year-olds, women and men
What WIPO is Doing on MDG 2
Access to knowledge
Copyright and related rights play a part in the realization of this Goal and its target of making primary education accessible to children everywhere. In particular, legislative advice in the use of flexibilities in the IP system to access the Internet and also obtain published materials can make an important difference in the attainment of policy objectives in the area of education and access to knowledge.
The WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) has initiated discussions and implementation of practical measures aimed at providing better access to copyright-protected works by the blind, visually impaired (VIP) and other reading-disabled persons (VisionIP site). This includes establishment of a stakeholders’ platform with the central aim of developing solutions that make published works available in accessible formats in a reasonable time frame, thereby enhancing access to literary, artistic and scientific works. A draft treaty has also been proposed by a group of countries to develop a harmonized set of international copyright exceptions for the benefit of the VIP and other persons with reading impairments. These activities will enable countries to devise relevant policies to support dissemination and equitable access to knowledge and educational materials with a view to promote human development through higher education which directly contributes to the attainment of Goal 2.
There are also two WIPO Development Agenda projects which support achievement of Goal 2:
(a) “Intellectual Property and the Public Domain”. The copyright component of this project involves a series of surveys, studies and awareness raising events aimed at clarifying what constitutes the public domain in different jurisdictions. A particular focus will be given to registration and documentation systems in place in WIPO Member States, and to how those systems might contribute to identifying freely accessible content, including educational material.
(b) “Intellectual Property, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), the Digital Divide and Access to Knowledge”. The copyright component of this project entails a study on the role that the copyright system could play in enabling access to ICTs and to information and knowledge. The aim is to provide Member States with relevant information on legislations and public policies linked to the use of the copyright system in order to enhance access to knowledge in three key areas: education and research; software development; and e-information services.