A Monegasque delegation takes part in the 64th series of meetings of the Assemblies of Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Réunion Assemblée OMPI ©DR

A Monegasque delegation took part in the 64th series of meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), held in Geneva from 6 to 14 July 2023. The meetings were led by H.E. Mrs Carole Lanteri, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Monaco to the United Nations Office in Geneva, accompanied by Mr Gilles Realini, Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva and Mr Jean-Pierre Santos, Head of the Industrial Property Division at the Economic Development Directorate.

These annual Assemblies are an opportunity for WIPO's 193 member states to discuss the future of the global intellectual property ecosystem and the Organisation's role in promoting the economic, social and cultural development of all countries. Important decisions were made on the main directions of WIPO's work, the systems it administers (registration of international patent applications, trademarks, industrial designs, geographical indications, etc.), and its standard-setting committees. The work programme and budget for the 2024-2025 financial year were approved, with revenue forecast at CHF 972.6 million. This figure reflects the continuing growth of intellectual property use around the world, despite the pandemic and the geopolitical context.

The Assemblies also expressed their wish to see WIPO continue to cooperate and provide technical assistance to Ukraine to assess the impact of the war on the innovation and creativity sector in Ukraine and to support the country in rebuilding this sector. This decision was the subject of intense negotiations in which the Monegasque delegation was involved.

Further to these Assemblies, the Monegasque delegation met with several representatives of the WIPO Secretariat to review the implementation of the agreement signed between the Principality and WIPO in November 2022, during a visit to Monaco by Mr Daren Tang, Director General of WIPO. There were also discussions about future activities that could be pursued under this cooperation agreement.

WIPO is a specialised United Nations agency responsible for developing international standards in the field of intellectual property and for managing international systems for registering intellectual property rights, such as patents and trademarks.