59th Session of WIPO General Assembly

World Intellectual Property

Ambassador of the I.R. of Iran made a statement on behalf of the OIC Member States

General Statement by

H.E Mr. Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran

On behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (Geneva Group)

 59th Session of WIPO General Assembly 

 30 September – 9 October 2019

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

Mr. Chairman,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation- Geneva Group- in our capacity as the OIC coordinator for Economic and Development Issues. We are delighted to see you again in the position of the Chair of the WIPO General assembly. We also would like to extend our congratulation to the upcoming GA chair and vice-chairs for their deserved election. Let me also express our gratitude to WIPO Director General and the Secretariat, for their efforts within the past year.

Mr. Chairman, 

Protection and promotion of intellectual property remains a key priority for OIC Countries as it plays a critical role in addressing contemporary challenges of development. Utilization of science, technology and innovation for sustainable development in all sectors, has been identified as one of the goals of the OIC-2025: Programme of Action. This programme by elaborating 107 goals under 18 priority areas highlights the importance of increasing the contribution of SMEs to the overall economic growth and development of OIC Countries as well as promoting youth and women entrepreneurship to make better use of economic potential in the OIC member States.   

To demonstrate the support of political leadership in the promotion of science, technology and innovation, the First OIC Summit on Science & Technology was convened in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2017 where an implementation strategy for the Ten Year OIC Science, Technology and Innovation Agenda was approved. The Second Summit is scheduled to take place in 2020 in Uzbekistan. We would also like to highlight the leading role of COMSTECH, the Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of OIC, whose core mandate is to strengthen cooperation among OIC Member States in science and technology.   

Mr. Chairman,

I take this opportunity to recall that WIPO and OIC, by signing a Cooperation Agreement in 2003, expressed their desire to facilitate, through close cooperation and consultation with each other, the attainment of the objectives set forth in their respective constituent instruments. Our group stands ready to enhance our cooperation with WIPO based on this Agreement on issues related to the role of IP in development and ways of addressing related challenges.

Mr. Chairman,

Now I turn to some topics on the agenda of the current GA session.

 We are of the firm belief that Development Agenda Recommendations should be regarded as a process that must be constantly mainstreamed in all WIPO programs. While we appreciate ongoing endeavors of WIPO in implementing and mainstreaming DARs in its regular program activities, we believe that all WIPO Committees should take due account of those recommendations in their policy making decisions. WIPO as one of the UN specialized agency should adopt an IP‑oriented approach towards development to increase the capacity of developing countries to meet their development goals through technical assistance and implementation of national IP and innovation policies and strategies.  

As regards DLT, we believe that the final decision on convening a diplomatic conference requires an inclusive approach, taking into account all parties’ legitimate concerns.  Therefore, we invite all delegations to engage in a meaningful discussion in order to overcome remaining differences. We look forward to a decision on this matter through consensus, and to the satisfaction of all member States.

With regard to IGC, we welcome the agreement reached in IGC/40 on renewal of the mandate, terms of the mandate and work program of the Committee. We believe that significant progress has been made on draft instruments on protection of GR, TK and TCEs. Accordingly, by respecting basic principles of multilateralism and demonstrating the political will, the Committee would be able to reach its objective which is to finalize an agreement on international legal instruments for protection of all 3 subject matters.

On the issue of broadcasting treaty, in view of the steady progress made in recent SCCR sessions, we take note of the recommendation made by the Committee to GA. We remain committed to continue the work of the Committee towards convening a diplomatic conference for the adoption of the treaty, subject to member States reaching consensus in SCCR on the fundamental issues. Furthermore, the OIC members States welcome positively the discussions about the resale royalties right within the SCCR.

With respect to the draft program and budget, while recognizing the stable and progressive financial situation of the Organization, our group is of the view that there is no added value to modify the current methodology for allocation of income and expenditure by Unions which has been in place for long time. Accordingly, we align with the position that the current allocation methodology should be maintained and the proposal contained in annex III on the draft document needs to be modified according to the current methodology.  

To conclude Mr. Chair, we welcome the proposals on the CoCo and PBC composition. We invite all Member States to explore constructive and pragmatic solutions for these issues based on consensus.

 

 Thank you Mr. Chairman.