Ambassador: Vietnam active as WIPO 2018-2019 Chair

Geneva (VNA) - Vietnam’s coordinating role and proactiveness as Chair of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) General Assembly in 2018-2019 have been internationally hailed, according to Ambassador Duong Chi Dung.

That Vietnam is taking the presidency of the WIPO in 2018-2019 is one of the effective steps to implement Directive 25 of the Party Secretariat on promoting multilateral external affairs through 2030, Dung said in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of the 59th session of the WIPO General Assembly from September 30 to October 9.

He said the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) has exerted profound impact on production methods, business, and consumption as well as global politics and security, adding that knowledge, scientific and technological accomplishments, and innovative ideas have become the main driving force for economic growth of all WIPO member countries.

New production methods require the WIPO to reform itself, Dung said, adding that Industry 4.0 also poses challenges in database management and operation.

Additionally, there is still a big difference in the protection viewpoints and policies of countries due to development gaps between developed, developing and underdeveloped ones.

Industry 4.0 will create development opportunities for all nations, especially developing ones, if they know to apply new science-technology achievements, Dung said.

However, this revolution could also make developing and underdeveloped countries lag behind further if they cannot optimise opportunities, he stressed.

As the competition between nations in the world has become fiercer, they have to revise and adjust their development strategies, the ambassador said, stressing that the Politburo’s resolution on joining Industry 4.0 dated on September 29, 2019, and the earlier introduction of the national strategy on intellectual property through 2030 dated on August 22, 2019 create an important step to promote innovation, creativity, and a strong intellectual property protection system. 

WIPO is Vietnam's first and most important partner in international cooperation on intellectual property, the diplomat affirmed. Annually, the organisation conducts many technical cooperation activities for developing countries and Vietnam is one of the biggest recipients of projects focusing on policy building and law making in intellectual property, capacity improvement, modernisation of intellectual property management system, and human resources development.

The building of the national strategy on intellectual property through 2030 with the technical assistance of WIPO has marked a new development in the field, affirming intellectual property is an important tool to promote innovation activities as well as national socio-economic and cultural development, Dung added./.