RENEWED CALL TO PROMOTE SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Posted on November 24th, 2013
PRESS RELEASE Sri Lanka Mission Geneva.
Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva and Chairman of the Personal Representatives of the Group of Fifteen (G-15), has urged WIPO to take measures to promote South-South Cooperation in the field of Intellectual Property for Development. He said that “WIPO should act as a catalyst to increase triangular cooperation between developing countries and LDC’s, through initiatives to identify best practices in the use of intellectual property for, inter alia, technology transfer, public health, food security, and other global challenges in which intellectual property has an important role to play”.
Ambassador Aryasinha made these observations when he delivered a joint statement at the Second Annual Conference on South-South Cooperation on Intellectual Property and Development, which followed the 12th Session of Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) at WIPO in Geneva on 22 November 2013, on behalf of G-15, a Summit Level Group of Developing Countries comprising 17 member States – Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
The Foreign Ministers of G-15 in their 36th Annual Meeting in New York on 27 September 2103 decided to include “Intellectual Property and Development” as one of the four new thematic areas of focus for the Group in the coming years. Other three thematic areas identified include: Information Communication Technology; Renewable Energy; and Migration and Development. This was G-15’s first-ever Joint Statement at WIPO.
Full text of the statement is attached herewith
G-15 JOINT STATEMENT
Second WIPO Annual Conference on South-South Cooperation on Intellectual Property and Development
Geneva, November 22, 2013
Mr President,
I have the honour and privilege to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of Fifteen (G-15), a Summit Level Group of Developing Countries, comprising 17 member states. G-15 was established in 1989 with the aim to, inter alia, tap the enormous potential of South-South Cooperation and North-South dialogue with a view to foster and promote sustainable development with shared common goals and leveraged capacities.
The Group would like to congratulate you for presiding over this important Conference on South-South Cooperation on Intellectual Property and Development and also for so successfully chairing the 12th Session of Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP). The Group also wishes to extend its appreciation to the Director General and the WIPO Secretariat on the preparation for this event.
Mr President,
The Members of G-15 have a particular interest in understanding the effects of the intellectual property development in developing countries, both on the specific measures of economic performance and on the process of economic development as a whole. That is why we welcome the adoption of the Development Agenda by the WIPO General Assembly in 2007, which was a milestone in the international perspective on intellectual property. It represented a shift from viewing IP as an end in itself to seeing it as a means to serve the larger public goals of social, economic and cultural development. The Group fully shares this perspective.
While acknowledging the challenges to the meaningful implementation of the recommendations of the Development Agenda, the Group strongly supports the mainstreaming of the development dimension into all areas of WIPO’s work, in view of the opportunity it presents not only to all developing countries but also to those with the potential to fully benefit from the international IP system.
The inception of the Development Agenda, the rebalancing of the global perspective on IP, and the mainstreaming and implementation of the recommendations present a considerable challenge. The Group is of the view that a development approach, an oversight by Member States, a sustained cultural change within the Secretariat as well as a continuous commitment and engagement with civil society organizations, are required for implementation to be successful.
The Group notes that six years after the adoption of the Development Agenda, WIPO has made significant and encouraging steps towards the integration of a development dimension in its work. Nevertheless, the Group is of the view that the complex process of implementing the recommendations of the Development Agenda needs to be further advanced. There is still much to be done in order to raise awareness among the international community about the importance of intellectual property as a development tool.
In this regard, the Group believes that this international conference on IP and Development, as agreed upon during the last session of CDIP, will be an important forum for discussing the impact of and obstacles to the effective implementation of the Development Agenda. It is also important that WIPO provides a forum in CDIP for discussing development aspects presented in the seminar series “The Economics of Intellectual Property” in order to provide information to decision making by member states. These discussions should lead to a comprehensive analysis on how the development dimension should be seen in the work of WIPO.
Mr President,
The Group welcomes the holding of this second WIPO Conference on South-South Cooperation in the field of Intellectual Property for Development. We welcome also the holding of interregional Conferences on South-South cooperation and intellectual property in two G-15 countries namely, Brazil and Egypt.
South-South Cooperation is the foundation under which the Group of Fifteen was created. We made it a tool for developing important and strategic partnerships to promote sustainable growth and contribute to the social development of our countries.
The Group believes that South- South cooperation can play an important role in achieving the objectives outlined in the relevant recommendations of WIPO’s Development Agenda. Indeed, South-South cooperation is particularly useful to achieving pro-development IP systems in developing countries and LDCs given the particular circumstances and challenges developing countries and LDCs face. It is also a vehicle to share information and promote understanding of the practical initiatives that developing countries and LDCs can and have utilized to link IP as a tool to broaden public policies and development goals.
G-15 members urge WIPO to take measures to promote South-South cooperation in the field of intellectual property. WIPO should also act as a catalyst to increase triangular cooperation between developing countries and LDCs, through initiatives to identify best practices in the use of intellectual property for, inter alia, technology transfer, public health, food security and other global challenges in which intellectual property has an important role to play.
Finally, Mr. President, our Group wishes the Conference every success in its work. I thank you.
November 24th, 2013 at 4:31 pm
The list of nations given that should share intellectual property India is the last for she wanted and still wants the formation of Eelam out of Sri Lanka and is in no mood to be transferring intellectual anything to Sri Lanka except to those who want to form Eelam.
The nations mentioned: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. of which Argentina, Brazil, Iran, stand out for they can give Sri Lanka the commercial use of Nuclear technology as well as missile technology which is vital to any modern military. The nations not included such as Pakistan, Russia and China are great assets to Sri Lanka in this area. As far as India is concerned she can do Sri Lanka a big help by forming Eelam out of Tamil Nadu and send all the SL Tamils to their wonderland.
Sri Lanka is prominently mentioned in the book ‘Crucible of Decline” by Rocco S. Bagaladi. One can go to Amazon.books and read the back of the book for its content. It mainly deals with a corrupt US government bent on the destruction of the US and a military attempt to stop it by a coup.
November 25th, 2013 at 7:13 am
BW,
With due respect to the author, but we needn’t necessarily agree with the book ‘Crucible of Decline’. Sometimes old economic ideologies based on PURE -isms, ‘run out of gas’ and new balances needs to be sought. We have every hope that a new way of governance will win through, putting Peoples wellbeing and welfare first before all else.
A practical Metamorphosis should be sought rather than Destruction of various ideologies, be it economic, political or even religious.
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In our view, some Intellectual Property discoveries should be shared freely with the rest of the world.
Also, Religious belief systems which may fear the ‘end of the world’ must now turn to how to best support vast numbers of humanity all over the world and also introduce to the public as much as possible free birth control so that populations keep to available resources, and hunger and death are kept at bay. We ought to strive to meet basic needs of one and all. Deep and reverent respect for all human life, with animal and plant life well cared for and used only as needed, the need of the hour. Only 9 months are needed to bring forth a new human life on Earth. Free Birth Control imperative. Intellectual Property in this aspect ought to shared freely throughout the world. N.B. : We are told that the Neem tree parts have great possibilities in birth control.
However, Global Warming must be addressed too and carbon dioxide emissions reduced as much as possible. A new threat is the melting of methane solids to gas form from under the Arctic area due to warming of the seas, making the earlier cold seas even more warm. This adds even more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The warming of the seas also threatens marine life as acidity of sea water increases and the eggs and young of sea creatures cannot withstand such changes. Intellectual Property in this regard too should be shared freely in the world.
The UN has many important subjects to work on together with organizations such as WIPO. All international organizations ought to be concerned with supporting life rather than its destruction. Intellectual Property should concentrate on how to SUPPORT life on Earth in the best ways possible.
Common problems that humanity faces today ought to bring us all together.
November 25th, 2013 at 7:56 am
We applaud Ambassador Ariyaratne’s idealism in his statement : “WIPO should act as a catalyst to increase triangular cooperation between developing countries and LDC’s, through initiatives to identify best practices in the use of intellectual property for, inter alia, technology transfer, public health, food security, and other global challenges in which intellectual property has an important role to play”.
Wonderful possibilities here.
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From RobertScribbler on Global Warming due to Arctic Methane released :
“Winter 2013 Shows Increasing Arctic Methane Feedback to Human Caused Warming
Methane-Jan21-31
(Image source: AQUA Satellite, NASA. Image produced by Dr. Leonid Yurganov) – see internet for images).
Steadily increasing Arctic methane emissions over the past decade are a dangerous amplifying feedback to human caused climate change.
This emission is a direct result of a rapid heating of the Arctic caused by human global warming via the ever-increasing volume of CO2 emitted and stored in the Earth’s atmosphere. Since the year 2000, world CO2 levels have risen from about 365 ppm to 396.8 ppm today. This rapid increase in CO2 is driving enhanced heating of the Arctic environment on the order of about one degree Celsius per decade.
The extra heat in the Arctic does work melting glaciers, reducing sea ice, and rapidly reducing spring time snow cover. The result is a warming of the Arctic tundra and sea bed. As these areas warm, methane stored in the frozen permafrost and in methane hydrates on the sea bed are released.
Amplifying Methane Release Adds to Already Difficult CO2 Problem
Since the year 2000, we have seen growing levels of methane release throughout the Arctic. This methane provides an extra push to global warming by adding more heat-trapping gasses on top of already high and rising values of CO2. Over the course of a century, methane provides 20 times the amount of heat trapping by volume compared to CO2. But short-term warming caused by methane is even greater, about 100 times that of CO2. So increasing levels of Arctic methane as a feedback to human-caused warming further amplifies the overall problem of climate change”.
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P.S. : The other common ‘item’ under Sharing of Intellectual Property is the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy and SAFETY in such uses.
The recent Japanese catastrophe with their Fukushima Nuclear energy plant (due to earthquake & tsunami), is a case in point.
Have human beings realized that the Earth is in some ways as fragile as life on Earth ? A wise person described life on Earth is ‘like the bloom on a plum’ – so thin is the life supportive layer, with a fragile and interdependent life balance. Below this thin life supportive layer are different crusts and at the centre, molten lava.
November 25th, 2013 at 1:08 pm
“By Shamindra Ferdinando
Regional as well as global naval powers are participating in the fourth edition of the Galle Dialogue, scheduled to begin today at the Light House Hotel.
Among the participants are those who had been supportive of Sri Lanka’s war against terror paving the way for the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009.
A record number of 35 countries, including the US, China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Israel, the UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Iran, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, South Africa and Vietnam are attending the two-day conference.
Navy spokesperson Commander Kosala Warnakulasooriya told The Island that at the inaugural confab in 2010, there had been only representatives from 11 countries, the following year 19 and last year there were 28.
Commander Warnakulasooriya said: “We are delighted to have about 90 international representatives in Galle. The gradual increase in the number of participants meant the importance of the event inaugurated close on the heels of Sri Lanka’s victory over the LTTE.”
The Galle Dialogue gets underway in the wake of the Sri Lanka Navy earning the appreciation of Australia for taking meaningful measures to stem illegal migration of people to down under. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott visited the navy’s flagship SLNS Sayura, formerly of the Indian Navy, at the Colombo Port on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) where he announced the gifting of two Bay Class ships to the navy.
Navy Chief Vice Admiral J. S. K. Colombage will deliver the welcome address, while presidential secretary Lalith Weeratunga and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa too are scheduled to speak.
Fleet Commander of the Royal Australian Navy Rear Admiral Timothy Barrett will discuss ways and means of curbing people smuggling by close cooperation.
Among those scheduled to make presentations included senior representatives from China, Malaysia, Pakistan, France, Iran, Vietnam and the Maldives.
Meanwhile, Navy headquarters said that five ships of Russia’s Pacific Fleet arrived at the Colombo port on Sunday on their way to home port Vladivostok from the Mediterranean. Russian mission commander Captain 1st Rank Maxim S. Alalykin is attending the Galle Dialogue.”
-island.lk
Well done MOD.
This PROVES SL is a strong anti-terrorism fighter. Always SHARPEN your axe. NEVER assume it is sharp enough.
November 25th, 2013 at 7:26 pm
Please watch this 10 minute video and pass on to as many people as possible. This video talks about the effect of Methane and other gases on Global Warming. This may be the biggest crisis humanity will face.
http://www.lasthours.com