2020-01-15
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| This Strategic Goal reflects WIPO’s potential to serve as an intergovernmental forum for addressing the intersection between IP, innovation and global public policy issues. It implies substantive engagement with other UN, intergovernmental, and non‑governmental organizations in order to contribute to the search for shared solutions to the major challenges facing humanity, including climate change, food security, public health, the protection of biodiversity and meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The most immediate impact of many of these global problems is borne by developing and least developed countries, and the programs under this Strategic Goal will be closely involved in the realization of development objectives and Development Agenda recommendations. |
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Technology has, historically, provided the means by which humanity has addressed social and environmental challenges. In a broad sense, it has offered ways to improve our response to isolation and distance, to inadequate agricultural productivity, to threats to public health, to lack of readiness for hurricanes and typhoons, and so forth. Not surprisingly, rights that restrict use of new technologies may engender controversy. On the other hand, if there are no new technologies, there will be not only no controversies, but also no improvements to our capacity to respond to challenges. Balance between incentivizing investment in new technologies, on the one hand, and giving access to the social benefit of the new technologies, on the other hand, is a key principle.
Because of our increased reliance on technology, the discussion concerning the interface between IP and global public policy issues can be contentious and difficult. The importance of the issues at stake, and the common interest in improved information tools to support and guide policy debate and in clearer linkages between policy debate and technical analysis, provide both an opportunity and a challenge for WIPO.
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The challenge is to ensure that WIPO can contribute its distinctive IP expertise to these crucial policy debates and, in doing so, work in partnership, as required and upon invitation of agencies and processes within the United Nations system and other inter-governmental fora. Successfully addressing this challenge presents an opportunity to establish WIPO as a point of reference on the interface between public policy issues and IP. To achieve this goal, WIPO needs to ensure that its contribution is of the highest quality, that it is balanced and evidence‑based, that it is targeted accurately, that it takes into consideration adequately the concerns of its Member States, and that it is supported through partnership building.
This also requires a clear understanding of the priorities in terms of WIPO’s partnerships and engagement according to where it can have greatest positive impact on the key public policy issues. Key partners among the UN System of organizations will include, for example, the World Health Organization (WHO) on the interface between IP and public health; the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on issues relating to IP, technology and climate change; the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on aspects of biodiversity which are relevant in particular for WIPO’s work in the area of traditional knowledge and genetic resources; the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on issues relating to IP and development; the Internal Telecommunications Union (ITU) on addressing IP issues in the context of the information society; the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the relationship between IP and culture; as well as the World Trade Organization (WTO) on a number of cross-cutting issues. WIPO must also look at leveraging these and wider networks and partnerships to support the Organization’s work through joint activities and resource mobilization (see also Strategic Goal III (Facilitating the Use of IP for Development) and VIII (A Responsive Communications Interface between WIPO, its Member States and all Stakeholders).
In recent years, major IP discussions have taken place outside WIPO and without its active participation. In order for WIPO to realize its full potential in addressing the interface between IP and global policy issues, it must ensure the trust of potential partners by providing significant contributions that not only move the debates forward in terms of better understanding of the issues, but also generate confidence as to the impartiality of its contributions.
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STRATEGIES
The following strategies would guide WIPO’s approach in this area:
(i) WIPO facilitates and promotes a balanced, evidence-based perspective on IP and global public policy issues in accordance with the Development Agenda recommendations and the perspective of all Member States, to complement discussions involving IP and global public policy interface in other forums, in its capacity as the leading UN agency on IP issues.
(ii) Developing sound information tools on the basis of patent data in sectors of technology of public policy interest in a form that is useful for practical policy-makers (in collaboration with the work undertaken under Strategic Goal IV (Coordination and Development of Global IP Infrastructure) and Strategic Goal V (World Reference Source for IP Information and Analysis)). This would include patent landscaping and other information on the legal status of patents on environmental technologies, and information on practical ways of ensuring access to, and local development of, such technologies in developing countries.
(iii) Developing partnerships and collaborations for the use of IP and in mitigating barriers created by IP as a policy tool to achieve public welfare outcomes by promoting innovation, transfer and diffusion of key technologies to deal with global challenges such as climate change, food security, public health, etc, in line with the ongoing negotiations in specialized fora such as the UNFCCC, WHO and FAO.
(iv) Developing voluntary innovation structures for these purposes through such mechanisms as:
– collaborative innovation;
– more effective and responsible licensing schemes;
– product development partnerships;
– patent commons and pooling initiatives; and
– dispute resolution mechanisms designed to minimize interference with the intended
functioning of such structures.
A/48/3 page 53
Proposed amendments by DAG
(v) Building and maintaining confidence in the new Performance Management and Staff Development System (PMSDS) by ensuring that it is applied fairly, objectively and consistently across the Organization.
(vi) Improving service delivery and reducing transaction costs across the administration and management functions through streamlining and re-engineering the management and administrative processes and supporting them with a robust, integrated and state-of-the-art Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System and clearly defined service level agreements (SLAs).
(vii) Reviewing and strengthening the procurement and travel policy, process and associated procedures, including the use of demand forecasting, better planning, the development of alternative sourcing strategies and the negotiation of framework agreements for commonly used goods and services.
(viii) Developing and implementing a comprehensive ICT strategy that tracks and exploits advances in information technology and responds to business needs.
(ix) Developing and mainstreaming environmentally friendly practices, including “green” procurement, that will help the Organization reduce its carbon footprint and move towards carbon neutrality.
(x) Identifying and implementing actions to move WIPO steadily towards an environment that is accessible to the physically, cognitively and visually impaired.
(xi) Elaborating a comprehensive language policy, developed in consultation with Member States, which responds to the needs of Member States and covers meeting documents, interpretation, publications and the WIPO website. It should address the language divide, aiming to use all the six official languages of the United Nations, including as working languages, on a fair and equitable basis and in a manner that is responsive to the needs of Member States. The policy will be implemented gradually over this Medium Term, to be carried out systematically towards its full and complete implementation by the end of 2015. This comprehensive language policy will cover WIPO documents, publications, interpretation, and all WIPO web sites. WIPO will review all its legal instruments and related procedures to reflect this comprehensive language policy.
(xii) Reviewing and streamlining the policies and procedures governing the production and distribution of meeting documents; streamlining the accreditation process of delegates and visitors atconferences, meetings and special events to enable WIPO to offer a more secure and user-friendly registration process for delegates and visitors.
(xiii) Reviewing and streamlining the policies and procedures governing records management and archiving services, including the introduction of electronic archiving and retrieval technology in order to facilitate access to the institutional memory of the Organization.
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EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Republic of Equatorial Guinea
Permanent Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland
