Trade In 2030: WTO Public Forum Opens With Visions For The Future 02/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment What will trade look like in 2030? This is the topic of the 2018 World Trade Organization Public Forum opening today. During the discussion opening the forum, WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo said technological evolution cannot be stopped and should be shaped so it can yield the best results. Alibaba founder Jack Ma invited governments to build infrastructure to help ecommerce and stop trying to regulate it.
UN Human Rights Council Passes Resolution On Peasants’ Rights Including Right To Seeds 01/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The United Nations Human Rights Council last week passed a resolution on the rights of peasants, to be confirmed by the UN General Assembly in November. The resolution includes an article on the right to seeds, and in particular the right to save, use, exchange and sell farm-saved seeds, which has been a longstanding demand of peasants’ organisations. The resolution also asks that seed policies and intellectual property laws take into account the rights, needs and realities of peasants.
UN High-Level Meeting On Noncommunicable Diseases: A Call To Action 28/09/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments NEW YORK — The United Nations General Assembly yesterday adopted a high-level political declaration on noncommunicable diseases like cancer and unhealthy lifestyle. And while it gives an infusion of political energy to the issue, some are concerned it did not go far enough and are urging strong actions to follow.
UN General Assembly Adopts High-Level Political Declaration On Noncommunicable Diseases 27/09/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments NEW YORK — The United Nations General Assembly is meeting today for the Third High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases, and has adopted an ambitious political declaration, entitled, “Time to Deliver: Accelerating our response to address NCDs for the health and well-being of present and future generations.”
World Leaders Commit To End Tuberculosis At Historic United Nations Meeting 27/09/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NEW YORK — World leaders and senior representatives came together today for the first-ever High-Level Meeting on the Fight to End Tuberculosis at United Nations headquarters in New York. At the meeting, heads of state adopted a political declaration with commitments to accelerate action and funding to end the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030.
WIPO In Good Health, IP Demand Rising, New Technologies Coming To Fore, Says Director 24/09/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The yearly World Intellectual Property Organization General Assemblies opened today. WIPO Director General Francis Gurry in his opening report to the member states underlined the rising demand for intellectual property protection, which continues to offer a healthy financial situation for the fee-financed organisation, but called on delegates to look into the future and start discussing questions linked to the use of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence.
UN Declaration On Noncommunicable Diseases Upholds Intellectual Property Flexibilities 19/09/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments After weeks of uncertainty among civil society organisations as to whether or not the United Nations political declaration on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) would uphold language on intellectual property flexibilities for affordable access to medicines, the document was finalised today with even stronger language affirming the use of these flexibilities.
Negotiated Deal For UN Tuberculosis Declaration Stands 18/09/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 14 Comments The negotiated deal over the language of the United Nations political declaration on tuberculosis, a landmark in the fight against TB, has been maintained by member states and was finalised on 14 September, marking the end of intense negotiations over language on intellectual property flexibilities in the document.
WIPO, Global Protector Of Creators’ Rights, Hosts A Sizeable Art Collection Itself 13/09/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment International organisations are the repository of many works of art, but little is known by the public of their vast collections. The UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva hosts over 500 works of art, some of them displayed in public spaces, most of them in storage, their value unclear. They have been gathered since the inception of the organisation, before it became WIPO in 1970, most of them given or loaned. What is considered works of art include a diversity of items. The most unusual and rare, a piece of the moon, sits in full view in a glass display in a lobby.
Shhh … UN Declaration On Tuberculosis Draft Text Out For Approval 11/09/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Negotiators’ agreed draft text for a United Nations political declaration on ending tuberculosis worldwide has been posted for all member states to see, and negotiators hope, not comment on. Under a UN procedure, the text has been placed “under silence” until 10:00am New York time on 14 September. If no one breaks the silence, the text is considered agreed and will advance to the High-Level Meeting on tuberculosis on 26 September as part of the annual UN General Assembly.