WIPO Director General Visits Cuba and CostaRica

Geneva, June 13, 2000
Press Updates UPD/2000/101

During a two-day visit to Cuba and Costa Rica, on June 6 and 7, 2000, the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), highlighted the key role of intellectual property protection in promoting economic growth and technological development.

At official award ceremonies in both Cuba and Costa Rica, Dr. Idris paid tribute to the invaluable contribution of individual inventors. In Cuba, a WIPO Gold Medal was awarded to Mr. Nilo Catañeda for his work in the development of broad spectrum fungicides as well as to 17 outstanding inventors and innovators. In Costa Rica, he conferred posthumously a WIPO Gold Medal on Mr. Clodomiro Picado Twight, for his contribution to medical research, particularly in the field of antivenin serums.

CUBA

In Havana, Dr. Idris met with President Fidel Castro, , Mr. Ricardo Carbisas Ruiz, Cabinet Minister in charge of International Economic Relations, Dr. Rosa Elena Siméon, Minister for Science, Technology and Environment, Mr. Abel Prieto, Minister for Culture, Mr. Jorge Bolaños, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs as well as a number of other senior Government officials.

The Director General applauded the Government of Cuba for its efforts in modernizing the intellectual property system of that country. He also commended Cuban achievements in the fields of healthcare, education and rural development and underlined the importance of the intellectual property system in protecting traditional knowledge, safeguarding access to genetic resources and biotechnological inventions and in reaping the benefits of electronic commerce.

Dr. Idris reaffirmed WIPO's continued support in strengthening the national intellectual property infrastructure to facilitate wider use of the intellectual property system and broad-based access to intellectual property information.

Cuba has been a member of WIPO since March 27, 1975, and is also a member of 14 other WIPO-administered international intellectual property treaties, including the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

COSTA RICA

In San José, Dr. Idris met with President Miguel Angel Rodriguéz, Mrs. Elizabeth Odio Benito, Second Vice-President and Minister of Environment and Energy, Mrs. Mónica Nagel, Minister for Justice, Mr. Tomás Dueñas, Minister for Foreign Trade, Mrs. Elayne Whyte, Acting Minister for External Relations, Mr. Jorge Eduardo Sánchez, Congressman and Vice-President of the Legislative Assembly and Mr. Belisario Solano, Chair of the Intellectual Property Committee of the Legislative Assembly.

The Director General congratulated the government of Costa Rica for its active role in upgrading the intellectual property legislation to ensure that the country was well placed to take full advantage of the enormous economic and social potential of the digital economy. Costa Rica is one of the first countries in the region to have adhered to the "WIPO Internet Treaties". Dr. Idris also pledged WIPO's support in the form of training in the field of mediation and arbitration.

Costa Rica joined WIPO on June 10, 1981, and is also party to 10 other WIPO-administered international intellectual property treaties, including the Paris and Berne Conventions, the Rome International Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations, the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT).

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