From April 29 to May 3, 2024, the 32nd session of the WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.
Ukraine is represented by:
- Vitaliy Kindrativ, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine;
- Andriy Anisimov, Head of the Intellectual Property and Innovations Department, Ministry of Economy of Ukraine;
- Bohdan Paduchak, First Deputy Director of the Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovations (IP Office/UANIPIO)
Within the framework of this CDIP session, Bohdan Paduchak, First Deputy Director of UANIPIO, acts as the coordinator of the Central Europe and Baltic States (CEBS*) Regional Group, making statements on behalf of the group on all issues of the CDIP agenda, as well as representing the group in discussions (including informal meetings) during the meetings with other WIPO Regional Groups coordinators and with the WIPO Secretariat.
This is the first time that Ukraine has undertaken such a role since becoming a full member of the CEBS regional group on March 14, 2022.
The ongoing work of the Committee is important for the future work of WIPO. CDIP is a platform for discussions with a mandate to explore the development of the IP system through innovation and creativity.
The issues discussed were:
- the link between intellectual property and the Sustainable Development Goals;
- projects to implement the WIPO Development Agenda;
- the functioning of intellectual property offices in times of crisis.
Condemnation of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine
In his opening remarks, WIPO Director General Daren Tang emphasized the importance and inextricable link between innovation and intellectual property, their interdependence and necessity for the development of a sustainable future, and described CDIP as a platform for the implementation of the 45 Sustainable Development Goals.
On behalf of Ukraine, Vitaliy Kindrativ, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, made an opening statement and emphasized:
“Global security, food, energy, ecology and even the nuclear crisis that followed soon after Russian Federation war of aggression against Ukraine give a whole new meaning to sustainable values”.
Bohdan Paduchak, Vitaliy Kindrativ
Ukraine's statement was supported by the representatives of the delegations of Moldova (on behalf of CEBS Group), the Netherlands (on behalf of Group B), Belgium (on behalf of the European Union) and the United States of America, who called on Russia to stop its military aggression and to comply with the principles and the UN Charter, and supported the WIPO Secretariat in its efforts to support Ukraine, its intellectual property system, and its innovation and creative sectors.
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Report on the implementation of the Development Agenda
During the session, WIPO Director General Daren Tang presented the Report on the Implementation of the Development Agenda (document CDIP/32/2), which provides an overview of the activities of WIPO sectors and the Office of the Director General aimed at ensuring the effective use of IP as a tool for development.
Daren Tang
In his address, Deputy Director of the Ukrainian IP Office Bogdan Paduchak thanked Daren Tang for his initiatives aimed at balanced development of the global innovation ecosystem and understanding of the challenges facing the innovation and creative sectors and the intellectual property system of Ukraine, and noted the existing positive results and progress of joint development projects:
“Ukraine is fortunate to be involved in many Development Agenda projects. During the reporting period, we completed a long-standing training of trainers programme for the Ukrainian IPTI, participated in many commendable projects of the TDC Division, joined the WIPO-Lex Jedgements initiative and strengthened cooperation with the WIPO Judicial Institute, managed to implement a wide range of mechanisms for strengthening IP rights enforcement in national legislation under the WIPO Alert initiative. All of them increase our potential and give a boost to development even in extremely difficult conditions for our country.
We are also delighted to be more involved in cross-regional activities, in particular, the capacity-building training for trademark and patent examiners, as well as the Experience Sharing of Best Practices on IP Management in Technoparks project. The significant positive results of their implementation make us encourage you to continue and expand them”.
In response, Daren Tang thanked Ukraine for its constructive dialogue and cooperation, as well as for engaging in the exchange of experience in cross-regional projects, welcoming this progress and assuring further support.
The international community also focused on the topic of Women and IP. In particular, a progress report on the implementation of the relevant project (document CDIP/32/4) was presented. These are initiatives aimed at supporting women inventors and innovators in the use and management of their intellectual property rights, and dissemination of IP knowledge. Member States supported the need for further work on the project.
The agenda of the 32nd session of CDIP includes a discussion of the project proposal submitted by the United Kingdom "Enhancing the Capacities of National Intellectual Property Offices in Times of Crisis" (document CDIP/32/6), which provides for crisis management measures for IP offices. For Ukraine, in the context of the war and overcoming its negative consequences, the relevant initiative can become an international community’s tool of support and assistance.
*For information:
The CEBS regional group includes 19 countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Ukraine.
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02 May 2024