Regional Arab Dialogue on IPR, Innovation and Sustainable Development begins
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Alexandria, 26 June 2005— Sunday, 26 June, witnessed the inauguration of the “Regional Arab Dialogue on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), Innovation and Sustainable Development” conference organized by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), 26-28 June, in collaboration with the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The conference revolves around four main themes: General trends and the emerging international IP architecture; Health–2005 and beyond; Access to knowledge and educational material; and Protection of expressions of folklore, cultural heritage and traditional knowledge in the Arab region.
In the opening session, Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, spoke of the many challenges faced today and how the “world’s architecture is changing”. He voiced his concerns regarding how the current IPR regime may be functioning at the expense of developing countries, and how accessibility to knowledge should not be hindered by copyright; expressing the need to balance between public access versus rewards for the innovators. He also argued the need to devise new business models for new technology, rather than using new technology for old business models.
Following Dr. Serageldin, Mr. Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz, Executive Director of ICTSD, spoke of the Center’s goals and how it aims to contribute to a better understanding of development and environment concerns in the context of international trade. He also expressed his appreciation to the BA for providing a platform for strategic discussions on trends and thematic issues in the area of intellectual property (IP) and his hope that it will continue its efforts in consolidating the IP discussions.
Concluding the Opening Session, Mr. Pedro Roffe, Senior Fellow on IPRs and Sustainable Development, ICTSD, outlined the conference’s agenda and his hope that the dialogue will contribute to change and a better understanding of IPR issues.
The conference aims to analyze current trends in IP standard-setting in the Arab region. It also explores linkages between sustainable development policies and intellectual property in areas such as health, nutrition, access to information and knowledge, and the protection of cultural goods, folklore and traditional knowledge; in addition to developing elements of a regional agenda for development-oriented IP policies and mechanisms for its advancement, mainly through research, partnership and networking.
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| Opening Session Speakers |
Participants in the conference |