Italy Makes Additional Extra-Budgetary Financial Contribution to WIPO

Contributions by the Government of Italy in the framework of a recently-concluded agreement with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have reached 600,000 Euros. The most recent contribution amounting to 300,000 Euros was communicated to WIPO on October 24, 2007 and comes from the Directorate General for Cooperation to Development (DGCS), Ministry for Foreign Affairs. This contribution follows the signing, last month, of an agreement between WIPO Director General, Dr. Kamil Idris, and Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Massimo D'Alema, which strengthens Italy’s commitment to consolidating and reinforcing its contribution to the activities of WIPO. The agreement formalizes Italy’s long-standing support of WIPO’s activities relating to economic development, and makes Italy one of the largest contributors of extra budgetary resources to WIPO.

 

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in Rome on September 10, 2007 established a funds-in-trust (FIT) program to cover intellectual property (IP) related activities in developing countries and countries in transition. The agreement prioritizes the promotion of economic and commercial activities based on IP, the relationship between IP and technological development, the development of creative industries, the use of IP by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the protection of geographical indications (GIs), industrial designs, IP training, and the fight against counterfeiting and audiovisual piracy. While the FIT agreement is aimed at all developing countries and countries in transition, special emphasis is placed on assistance to least developed countries (LDCs) and countries in the Mediterranean area.

 

Earlier this year, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs contributed, in the context of this FIT, an additional 300,000 Euros. Part of this helped to finance a joint post-graduate program in IP offered by the WIPO Worldwide Academy, the University of Turin and the International Labour Organisation, International Training Center (ILO-ITC).