International Forum Adopts Muscat Declaration
Geneva, January 29, 2002
Press Updates UPD/2002/157
An International Forum at the ministerial level, organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Government of the Sultanate of Oman and held under the Patronage of His Highness Sayyid Asaad bin Tareq bin Taymur Al-Said, on the theme "Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge: Our Identity, Our Future" concluded on January 22, 2002, with the adoption of the Muscat Declaration. This Declaration recognizes the contribution of traditional knowledge in building bridges between civilizations and cultures, in creating wealth and in promoting the human dignity and cultural identity of traditional communities. It also recognizes that intellectual property is a flexible legal mechanism that can be adapted to the specific features of traditional knowledge, particularly its collective, cultural and permanent nature.
High-level speakers addressed the Forum on various themes relating to traditional knowledge and intellectual property. The Minister of Commerce and Industry of Oman, Mr. Maqbool bin Ali bin Sultan and WIPO Director General , Dr. Kamil Idris, opened the meeting with an overview of the relevance of the intellectual property system to traditional knowledge. Other speakers included HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, Mr. Fidel Ramos, former President of the Philippines, Mr. Ernesto Samper Pizano, former President of Colombia, and His Excellency Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, former Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania. Representatives from some 30 countries and several regional organizations attended the meeting.
The objective of the Forum was to provide policy makers and senior government officials with the opportunity to exchange views and share experiences on the social, cultural and economic dimensions of the protection of traditional knowledge. Speakers addressed issues relating to national efforts to preserve and promote traditional knowledge; the relevance of the intellectual property system as a tool to protect traditional knowledge; and the use of the intellectual property system to generate valuable traditional knowledge assets. They also examined how indigenous and local communities can best use the intellectual property system for wealth creation.
To empower traditional knowledge holders to fully benefit from the intellectual property system, the Declaration (attached) recommended:
1. Strengthening of interaction between traditional knowledge holders, support institutions and associations, national governments and intellectual property offices, as well as with WIPO and other relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations with a view to better identifying the needs of traditional knowledge holders;
2. Increasing awareness and understanding of intellectual property issues within the traditional knowledge holders' community, particularly through outreach campaigns and targeted training programs, so as to enhance the capacity of traditional knowledge holders to maximize their legal and economic benefits from the use of the existing intellectual property system;
3. Supporting the work of the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore, as the appropriate forum to engage in discussions and exchanges of views concerning the intellectual property protection of traditional knowledge;
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