In the opening speech, the Permanent Representative of Morocco in Geneva, Ambassador Omar Zniber, stressed that the Kingdom is “the first Arab country and the second African country to chair this General Assembly as the supreme governing and decision-making body of the Organization, which meets every year to assess the progress made in the work of the Organization and discuss future directions.”
Mr. Zniber took this opportunity to thank the participating delegations for the confidence expressed in the Kingdom and for the continued support for the work of this body during the Moroccan presidency during the period 2019-2021, which coincided with an unprecedented global situation.
He also highlighted the strong and common contribution of the Member States and their sustained efforts to achieve the objectives set out under this mandate.
The Moroccan diplomat also dwelt on the efforts made within the WIPO General Assembly, under the Moroccan presidency, citing in particular the regular continuation of the organization’s meetings despite the restrictions linked to the pandemic, in addition to the holding of the Organization’s major deadlines within the allotted time, including the election of the new Director General of WIPO.
He also stressed the special attention paid by Morocco, as President of the General Assembly, to the intensification of consultative meetings, which were devoted to the examination of many fundamental issues.
Mr. Zniber also welcomed the particular interest shown by the various delegations in the approach adopted by the Moroccan presidency, which contributed to improving the understanding of the subjects under consideration, as well as to developing awareness of the political and economic challenges arising from them, highlighting the great interaction shown by the diplomatic missions in Geneva and the Member States with the approach adopted by the Moroccan presidency, over the last two years.
This approach also helped to deepen the debate around the economic, cultural and scientific issues addressed by the Organization, he said.
The Moroccan presidency of the WIPO General Assembly was also an opportunity to highlight the role of intellectual property in promoting development in Morocco, as well as the remarkable progress made by the Kingdom in this area, under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI.
The week-long session will focus on a range of important institutional, legal, financial and technical issues. Among other things, the General Assembly will elect a new Bureau for the 2021-2023 biennium.
This general assembly is attended by more than a thousand participants, including heads of intellectual property offices around the world as well as experts and NGOs active in this field.
In addition, new members of two important committees of the organization, namely the Finance and Budget Committee and the Coordination Committee, will be elected for the period 2021-2023. Similarly, Morocco’s mandate will also be renewed for the third consecutive time in these two committees.
2024-09-03 14:55:28