The 28th session of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 16 to 20, 2022. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee’s work was conducted in a hybrid format, with a limited number of participants at the Organization’s headquarters in Geneva and extensive participation through the Interprefy virtual platform. The session was chaired by H.E. Ambassador Ana Patricia Benedetti Zelaya of El Salvador.
In his opening remarks, WIPO Deputy Director General Kleib Hasan welcomed the continued commitment and interest of Member States in the implementation of the drafts of the Development Agenda (DA), demonstrating a pragmatic approach based on requests from Member States.
The Deputy Director General of WIPO reiterated that the Organization has continued to make sustainable efforts to ensure the implementation and integration of DA Recommendations in all its sectors, as well as in its development activities.
The status of ongoing projects was presented by the WIPO Secretariat in the Progress Report on the Implementation of DA, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on project implementation and the proposed alternative activities for their successful completion.
A number of reports and studies were presented and discussed in the Committee, including:
- Director General’s Report on the Implementation of the Development Agenda;
- Report on the International Conference on IP and Development - Innovation in Green Technologies for Sustainable Development;
- Evaluation Report of the Project on Enhancing the Use of Intellectual Property for Mobile Applications in the Software Sector;
- Report on the Sharing Sessions on Women and IP, etc.
“IP and Innovation: Trademarks and Design Strategies for Entrepreneurs” was another topic of great interest to Member States, as they exchanged information and experiences on the use of trademarks and design strategies by entrepreneurs.
The Committee subsequently examined and agreed on proposals for projects focusing on current issues, including those related to the management of IP by SMEs, women and IP, the reduction of work-related accidents and occupational diseases through innovation and intellectual property and other projects of major importance for the less developed countries, the developing ones, and also the countries with emerging or transition economies. The Republic of Moldova, together with other countries in the Regional Group of Central, Eastern European Countries and the Baltic States, has supported the projects proposed for implementation, especially those aimed at exploiting IP for the purpose of economic development and supporting innovative and creative entrepreneurship.
The Republic of Moldova was represented at the 28th session of the WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property by Liliana Vieru, Head of the Communication and International Relations Department, and Victoria Plesca, Head of the International Relations Division of AGEPI, who participated online in the meeting.
More information on the projects discussed during the current session of the Committee, as well as the full view of the session meetings, is available on the WIPO website at: https://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/details.jsp?meeting_id= 69312.
