GENEVA - The meetings of the Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which bring together WIPO’s 184 member states, opened on September 24, 2007 with the election of Ambassador Martin I. Uhomoibhi, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations in Geneva as Chairman of the WIPO General Assembly.

According to a press release by WIPO, the meeting of the Assemblies, which run from September 24 to October 3, 2007, will take stock of progress in the Organization’s work and discuss future policy directions.

Ambassador Uhomoibhi thanked member states for their “confidence and trust” in electing him as Chair of the WIPO General Assembly and called on their continuing cooperation and support in “our common quest to ensure the progress of WIPO and the achievement of its programs to our collective good.”

He said the WIPO General Assembly traditionally “provide us the opportunity to assess challenges encountered and progress made in achieving our stated goals and objectives. These Assemblies are at the heart of WIPO’s implementation strategy for the sustenance and actualization of its programs and activities.”

The Ambassador paid tribute to the outgoing Chairman of the WIPO General Assembly, Ambassador  Enrique Manalo, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations in Geneva, and his vice-chairs, for “their tireless efforts in promoting dialogue and consensus on several processes”.

He expressed his appreciation of the “skilled leadership” of WIPO Director General, Dr. Kamil Idris, and his “expert management of the human and material resources of the Organization.”

He thanked the Director General and WIPO staff for their dedication and “their contributions in support of Member States efforts towards the development of a balanced and accessible intellectual property system which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to the economic development of all countries.”

“In our globalizing world, new elements and new dynamics are at play. As always, the human spirit is at the epicenter of this challenge…..WIPO has a role to play in meeting today’s challenges, supreme among which is the challenge of development,” Uhomoibhi pointed out.

At the opening session of the meeting, the outgoing Chairman of the WIPO General Assembly, Ambassador Enrique Manalo, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations in Geneva, thanked member states for their cooperation in finding solutions to on-going international intellectual property debates under his chairmanship.

Idris, applauded Ambassador Manalo’s “dedication and commitment” in undertaking his role as Chairman of the WIPO Assembly since 2005.

Idris also drew the attention of delegations to a paper entitled “WIPO – The Past Decade and Beyond” which outlines the initiatives spearheaded by the Organization since 1997 and future goals.

Source: ag-IP news