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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

1. What decisions or new strategies has the governing body of your organization taken to guide the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs? Please provide a brief summary below, including the overarching vision of your governing body for the Decade of Action on the SDGs.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) has initiated discussions on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs since April 2015.

During its fifteenth session (April 2015), the CDIP requested the Secretariat to provide an analytical document to propose possible courses of action as to how WIPO needs to adapt itself in order to support Member States on the attainment of the goals of the Post-2015 Development Agenda (DA).

The CDIP considered at its sixteenth (November 2015), seventeenth (April 2016) and eighteenth (November 2016) sessions, a series of documents on “WIPO and the Post-2015 Development Agenda: Mapping of WIPO Activities Related to the SDGs Implementation”, and the “Compilation of Member State Inputs on SDGs relevant to WIPO’s Work”.

At its eighteenth session, the CDIP requested the Secretariat to present an annual report to the Committee, at its first session of the year, containing information on WIPO’s contribution to the implementation of the SDGs and its associated targets on:

  • the activities and initiatives undertaken individually by the Organization;
  • The activities undertaken by the Organization as part of the UN System; and
  • The assistance provided by WIPO to Member States upon their request.

The Committee also decided to continue its discussion on the way to address this subject in its future sessions, including the request for establishing a permanent agenda item. Such discussion concluded in 2018: Member States decided that “any discussion on SDGs in the CDIP sessions shall be undertaken under agenda item on “Intellectual Property (IP) and Development”. The topics discussed under the agenda item “IP and Development” are intended to provide an opportunity to share experiences and best practices deployed by Member States and by WIPO in various fields of IP. Member States have proposed possible topics for discussion under the said agenda item. Some of these topics address SDG 9 and are relevant to other SDGs. The Committee also decided to maintain a Roster of proposals of topics to enable Member States to make proposals in the future.

In 2018, the CDIP also approved a proposal by a Member State highlighting the importance of incorporating a gender perspective into the promotion of inclusive economic growth, and the key role that gender-responsive policies can play in achieving sustainable socio-economic development. The said proposal recognizes the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and recalls SDGs 5 and 9. The decision calls for the following action: (i) to compile comparable and disaggregated international data on the gender of IP rights owners and creators; (ii) to share methods and procedures for the collection of gender-disaggregated data, the use of indicators, monitoring and evaluation methodologies, and economic analysis of gender gaps related to IP; (iii) to continue gender mainstreaming in WIPO programs and policies, including the implementation of WIPO´s Policy on Gender Equality; (iv) to continue through the WIPO Academy to empower women through its range of IP training and capacity-building programs; and (v) to assist Member States in implementing measures and programs to encourage the involvement of women and girls in IP.

In 2019, the CDIP discussed under agenda item “Intellectual Property and Development” the topic of “IP and Development in the Digital Environment” at its twenty-third session, and “MSMEs, Innovation and IP” at its twenty-fourth session. In the context of the discussion on the first of the above topics, the Committee took a decision on follow-up actions to identify the infrastructure needs of developing countries and LDCs with the aim to bridging the digital divide.

2. At the secretariat level, what steps has your organization taken (or will it take) in the follow-up to the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs? Please specify actions, including but not limited to the following areas:

2.1 SDG-specific strategies, plans or work programmes;
2.2 Aligning the structure of the organization with the SDGs and the transformative features of the 2030 Agenda, including any challenges and lessons learned in doing so;
2.3 Readjusting or updating results-based budgeting and management, including performance indicators;
2.4 Action to enhance support to the principle of "leaving no one behind" and to integrated policy approaches;
2.5 Action to address the interlinkages across SDG goals and targets;
2.6 Others.

The SDGs are an important feature in WIPO’s programs and activities. The Organization’s Results Framework highlights WIPO’s Strategic Goals and Expected Results which contribute to the SDGs.

The Results Framework sets out the 38 organizational Expected Results (ER) for the 2020/21 biennium, providing the mandate for the Programs contributing to these results. Gender Equality (SDG 5), Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17) are cross-cutting issues, which are mainstreamed across all WIPO’s Strategic Goals. 

Twenty out of a total of thirty-one programs included in the Program and Budget for 2020-2021 are linked to SDGs[1]. WIPO’s Strategic Goals and Programs are aligned with the priorities set in the 2030 Agenda. WIPO’s development cooperation, technical assistance and capacity building activities are strategically placed to deliver support to its Member States as they integrate the SDGs in their national sustainable development plans.

3. What normative, analytical, technical assistance or capacity building activities is your organization providing to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs? Please provide a brief account of the activities you have organized or intend to undertake, including but not limited to the following areas:

3.1 Enhancing national implementation including by supporting the mainstreaming of the SDGs in development plans and policies or through national sustainable development plans/strategies;
3.2 Mainstreaming the SDGs in sectoral strategies, including specific SDG/target strategies;
3.3 Supporting the strengthening of national institutions for more integrated solutions;
3.4 Data and statistical capacity building;
3.5 Harnessing science, technology and innovation for the SDGs;
3.6 Multi-stakeholder partnerships;
3.7 Bolstering local action and supporting sub-national plans/strategies and implementation for the SDGs;
3.8 Leveraging interlinkages across SDG goals and targets;
3.9 Supporting policies and strategies to leave no one behind;
3.10 Supporting the mobilization of adequate and well-directed financing;
3.11 Reducing disaster risk and building resilience;
3.12 Supporting international cooperation and enhancing the global partnership;
3.13 Others.

The legal framework of the IP System, which includes the twenty-six international treaties administered by WIPO and national IP laws, is of outmost importance to the innovation ecosystem in the global economy. It promotes a positive enabling environment to support the innovation in technological development, and diversity in creativity, that will be important for achieving the SDGs.

WIPO’s legislative and policy assistance is based on the multilateral legal framework and aims to support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment. WIPO assists its Member States, particularly developing and least developed countries, upon their request, to produce national IP strategies and laws, aligned with their development strategies, which encourage and facilitate the effective creation, development, management, and protection of IP.

IP is one of the key elements for a positive enabling environment to support innovation in technological development, and diversity in creativity, as many of the SDGs are dependent upon the development and diffusion of innovative technologies.

WIPO’s 896 Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) provide access in 80 countries to technological information through patent databases and access to scientific literature through the Access to Research for Development and Innovation Programme (ARDI), the Access to Specialized Patent Information Programme (ARDI) and the development of national intellectual property and innovation strategies. Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in 2015, the implementation of this program has seen an acceleration, with a noticeable annual progression of the number of centers and of beneficiary countries.

The WIPO Development Agenda (DA) continues to guide WIPO’s contribution to the attainment of the SDGs, and the implementation of DA projects delivers a set of outputs that could be used by Member States for their sustainable development.

WIPO’s Program on the Transfer of Appropriate Technology to LDCs is designed to support LDCs in the identification, management, administration and utilization of technical and scientific information with a focus on patent information, with a view to building their institutional and national capacity on appropriate technology for development. In this context, the transformation of beneficiary individuals and communities in rural areas and cities through technology learning and employment generation, no matter how small, is an overarching objective of the Program with linkages to SDG 1. The implementation modalities of the Program also directly focus on building national innovation capabilities and absorption capacities and promoting the use of science and technology and their application for development, which links it directly to the implementation of SDG 9. In addition, the Program through fostering equitable participation in activities and established institutions, including the National Expert Groups (NEGs), contributes to the achievement of SDG 5. The delivery strategy of the Program also requires collaboration and participation of a range of players from individuals to private and public institutions in various sectors. Therefore, national institution building through the creation of national bodies/institutions, stakeholder groups, and national expert groups, support SDG 16.

The specific appropriate technologies which are identified and are in the process of application provide solutions to specific development related challenges which have linkages to a number of SDGs including SDGs 2, 3, 6 and 7.

Various WIPO analytical reports contribute to promoting innovation by helping Member States and various users strengthen their ability to understand and leverage trends in policy, business, and innovative technologies. Four reports were produced in 2019: 

  • The Global Innovation Index (GII): The GII is a country ranking and an analytical tool that helps governments benchmark their innovation performance along a large set of indicators, covering seven different dimensions: institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication, business sophistication, knowledge and technology outputs, and creative outputs. The GII supports the achievement of SDG 9 by helping benchmark innovative activity for the benefit of policymakers across the globe. In addition, the thematic discussion of the 2019 GII report focused on Creating Healthy Lives – the Future of Medical Innovation, thus also providing important perspectives on SDG 3. In the years to come, medical innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI), genomics, and mobile health applications will transform the delivery of healthcare in both developed and emerging nations. The GII 2019 addressed (i) the potential impact of medical innovation on society and economic growth, and what obstacles must be overcome to reach that potential, (ii) the changing global landscape for R&D and medical innovation, and (iii) the health challenges which future innovations need to address. The GII report makes relevant recommendations on how policies and institutions created by national and global actors can foster the future of medical innovation and its shared health impacts.
  • The World Intellectual Property Report 2019: The biannually published World Intellectual Property Report (WIPR) is a WIPO flagship economic report seeking to explain, clarify and contribute to policy analysis relating to innovation and intellectual property (IP) with the aim to facilitating evidence-based policymaking. The WIPR series supports the achievement of SDG 9 by helping policymakers better understand the large trends in innovation. The 2019 edition offers an empirical perspective on the global geography of innovation by exploring in detail how innovators from around the world concentrate geographically in a few innovation-dense urban areas. These innovation hotspots are scattered in a limited number of countries but increasingly globally connected through collaborative ties. The analysis of the consequences of such agglomeration of innovation relate, to some extent, to the economic and social links between these innovation hotspots and the less innovative peri-urban and rural areas, informing also SDG 11.
  • The World Intellectual Property Indicators 2019 (WIPI) report is WIPO’s flagship statistics report. It reports on the latest worldwide trends in IP activity based on statistical data collected from national and regional IP offices. Policymakers, IP and innovation stakeholders, researchers and the media around the world rely on the WIPI to learn about the latest IP developments and take actions accordingly, supporting the achievement of SDG 9. The 2019 edition of the WIPI describes how global intellectual property filing activity evolved in 2018. Patent filings around the world reached 3.33 million, representing a 5.2% growth on 2017 figures. Filings of utility models, trademarks and industrial designs also recorded strong growth in 2018. The report highlights the continuing geographical shift in IP activity, with Asia now accounting for more than two thirds of all IP filings worldwide. Patent filing statistics suggest that while computer technology and electrical machinery are leading the fields of innovation, food chemistry, IT methods for management and environmental technology are the fastest-growing fields of technological innovation in the past decade.
  • WIPO Technology Trends Reports are another resource produced to provide users an overview of particular technologies, through patent analysis and expert contributions, while assessing and forecasting technology and business trends. The first edition of the Technology Trends Reports was produced in 2019 and focused on “Artificial Intelligence” (AI). The report reveals trends in patenting of AI innovations, the top players in AI from industry and academia, and the geographical distribution of AI-related patent protection and scientific publications.

Capacity building programs are also set to promote IP as a tool for development and to spur innovation and creativity. The WIPO Academy is the core entity in WIPO for enhancing training and human capacity-building activities, particularly for developing countries, least-developed countries (LDCs) and countries in transition. The Academy acts as a catalyst for a virtual network of partners, experts and teachers in development-oriented IP training. It provides professional and open-access online learning and training designed to expand the range and impact of training opportunities at the national, regional and international levels.

4. The high-level political forum (HLPF) is the central platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. Has your organization participated in or supported the work of the HLPF? If yes, please specify your involvement in the following areas:

4.1 Supporting the intergovernmental body of your organization in contributing to the thematic review of the HLPF; 4.2 Contributing to policy/background briefs for the HLPF;
4.3 Helping organize SDG-specific events in the preparatory process;
4.4 Organizing side events or speaking at the HLPF;
4.5 Supporting the VNR process.

WIPO has participated by attending and engaging in the discussions of each session of the HLPF. WIPO has contributed to the policy/background briefs for the HLPF, in particular focusing on the subject of innovation, science and technology, and has suggested speakers and participated in ECESA-Plus coordinated efforts to contribute to the preparation of specific sections of the HLPF program. 

WIPO also co-organized SDG-specific side events on various issues relating to innovation and the SDGs, including on:

  • The role of innovation and technologies for sustainable development,
  • Closing the Gender Gap on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs,
  • Digital Creativity Re imagining Culture for Sustainable development
  • Women as Innovators and Beneficiaries of Innovation for Sustainable Development,
  • Innovation strategies: Designing national policies that use innovation to meet the SDGs;
  • Future foresight methodologies for policymaking on gender and STI;
  • Innovation strategies: Designing national policies that use innovation to meet the SDGs.

WIPO also participated in the HLPF panel discussion on advancing science, technology and innovation for the SDGs, and presented the WIPO 2018 Global Innovation Index, which focused on “Energizing the World with Innovation” and provided important perspectives on SDG 7.

5. How has your organization cooperated with other UN system organizations to achieve coherence and synergies in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs? In this regard, has your organization launched or intend to launch any joint programmes or projects in collaboration with other UN entities? Are there any results or lessons you would like to highlight that might help improve the design and impact of such efforts? Has your organization participated in any of the following coordination systemwide mechanisms or any other relevant platform - CEB, UNSDG, EC-ESA Plus, regional coordination meetings, UN-Energy, UN-Water, UN-Ocean, IAEG, IATT? Please specify which and indicate any suggestions you may have about improving collaborations within and across these mechanisms/platforms.

WIPO’s Director General participates in the CEB, and WIPO is regularly represented at ECESA meetings. 

As a specialized agency of the United Nations, WIPO contributes as a member or observer in various fora, to relevant discussions on the implementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. WIPO engages, in particular, with UN inter-agency processes relevant to intellectual property (IP) and innovation, including the United Nations Interagency Task Team on Science, Technology and Innovation (IATT) for the SDGs, established within the framework of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism. WIPO also engages in relevant meetings of the major organs, programs and specialized agencies of the United Nations. This engagement cuts across thematic fields such as Innovation, Digital Agenda, Gender Equality, Climate Change and Public Health.

WIPO is an observer and participates in meetings of the IAEG-SDGs, and is an active member of the IATT on Science, Technology and Innovation for SDGs (and a participating member of the IATT sub-groups on the Online Platform, Mapping Exercise, Capacity Building, and co-established the sub-group on Gender and STI). In this context, WIPO participates in the preparation of the annual 2030 Agenda mandated Global Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development (STI Forum). In 2019, as part of the Forum’s program, WIPO held a Panel discussion on the role of the WIPO knowledge network in facilitating access to technology for innovation. In addition, WIPO together with ITU, UNESCO and UNDESA, held an Exhibition on Gender in STI during which the challenges and barriers slowing down the equal participation of women in STI were discussed by various actors including policy makers, diversity specialist and scientists. WIPO and ITU collected initiatives led by various UN entities members of the IATT in support of the equal participation of women and girls in STI, and produced a brochure that featured select initiatives by UN entities giving visibility to action in support of SDG5. A second edition of this brochure is in preparation and will be made available in 2020.

WIPO also contributed to the work of the IATT for the development of STI Roadmaps for SDGs which led to the development of a guidebook for Member States to support national efforts in STI for SDGs policy design, planning and implementation. This work is led by the World Bank, UN-DESA, UNCTAD and UNESCO and benefited from support by other entities including WIPO. In particular, WIPO shared its experience, methodology and tools for the development of IP or Innovation strategies, as well as information and IP focused advice on key components of effective innovation landscapes.

WIPO also contributes to capacity building activities under the IATT. In 2019, WIPO contributed in substance and resources to the organization of a Joint Capacity Building Workshop on STI for SDGs, held in Giulin, Guangxi Province - China. The purpose of the Workshop was to support the innovation capacity of a range of stakeholders, especially in LDCs and select middle income developing countries (MICs). The event was organized by UNDESA, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, ESCAP, and in collaboration with WIPO and the European Commission. The workshop was held as a follow up to the 2019 STI Forum.

WIPO continues to support the development of the TFM Online Platform (TFM-OLP) and is working on connecting to the OLP three of its initiatives, that is WIPO Green, WIPO Re-Search and WIPO Match. The platform is a gateway for information on existing STI initiatives, mechanisms and programs, and would work to facilitate the matching of technology supply and demand in the context of the 2030 Agenda.

WIPO is also a member of the Inter-Agency Consultative Group (IACG) on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and the Interdivisional Task Force (IDTC) on LDCs.

Several other examples of cooperation with UN system organizations can be cited, notably:

  • In the context of inter-agency cooperation in supporting implementation of the SDGs (in particular SDG 9 and SDG 5) WIPO - a co-founder of the IATT Sub-Group on Gender and STI - developed a joint initiative with UNESCO and UN Women to explore strategic policy approaches to issues of gender and science, technology and innovation in the context of achieving progress under the SDGs. The main objectives of this initiative are to identify the best way forward, including the key challenges and opportunities to reaching the desired outcomes; Also, together with ITU, WIPO hosted in 2019, a side event in in the margins of the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on Gender and STI. The purpose of the event was to promote awareness of the importance of gender equality in STI, and present the work of UN agencies members of the IATT in support of the achievement of SDG 5. In addition, and together with other UN entities, WIPO co-sponsors and participates in events to commemorate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
  • WIPO cooperates with WHO and WTO on issues of Public Health, Intellectual Property and Trade. This Trilateral Cooperation contributes to enhancing the empirical and factual information basis for policy makers at the intersection of these three domains, and supports them in addressing public health in relation to IP and trade. A total of eighth trilateral symposiums have been co-organized by the three institutions. The last one marked ten years of trilateral cooperation.
  • WIPO participates in the work of the United Nations Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance and contributed to the development of the Group’s Report to the UN Secretary-General, as well as in the meetings of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (UNIATF-NCD), which brings together 40 UN agencies to support governments tackle NCDs;
  • WIPO is a partner in the UN SDG: Learn, an initiative of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the United Nations System Staff College, which aims to provide an effective and inclusive approach to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) learning and training efforts. It also aims to build on different organizations expertise to advance the training offerings in support of the SDGs and 2030 Agenda. As part of the UN system, WIPO offers regular and customized educational and training activities related to the SDGs which are relevant to its mandate and which respond effectively to the training needs of its Member States, particularly developing countries, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and countries with economies in transition. Such services are provided through the WIPO Academy, the core entity in WIPO for the delivery of IP education, training and human capacity-building services.
  • WIPO participated in the preparatory process of the UN Conference on South-South Cooperation (BAPA+40) which led to the adoption in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in March 2019, of an outcome document urging greater South-South Cooperation to achieve Sustainable Development by enhancing collaboration to address changing political landscape and resource constraints. WIPO has been participating with other UN agencies in the drafting of a UN System-wide Strategy document on South-South and Triangular Cooperation. WIPO also connected its WIPO Match Platform to the UN South-South Galaxy launched in September 2019. The South-South Galaxy is a global knowledge sharing and partnership brokering platform supported by the UN Office for South-South Cooperation, UN agencies and development partners in an effort to consolidate south-south and triangular solutions for development;
  • Finally, as a member of the UN Inter-Agency Task force on Financing for Sustainable Development, WIPO continues to contribute to the preparation of the annual report on the UN Financing for Sustainable Development. WIPO’s contribution is in the form of substantive input to chapters addressing IP and/or innovation.

6. How has your organization engaged with stakeholder groups, both in supporting implementation at the country, regional and global levels, and within your own organization? If yes, please provide main highlights, including any lessons learned. If your organization has established any multi-stakeholder partnerships to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, please describe them and how their performances are being monitored and reviewed.

WIPO contributes to the innovation ecosystem through a number of multi-stakeholder partnership programs that are relevant to the SDGs, mainly:

  • WIPO Re:Search, a Consortium which catalyzes the development of new medicines and technologies in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), malaria and tuberculosis. Through innovative research partnerships and Research and Development (R&D) collaborations, the Consortium makes intellectual property (IP) available to researchers who need it. WIPO Re:Search’s 146 members – spread across 42 countries on six continents -- include eight of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, prestigious academic institutions and product development partnerships. Since its launch in 2011, WIPO Re:Search has fostered 161 collaboration agreements among its members, of which 57 are currently active and nine are advancing through key milestones on the product development pathway.

WIPO Re:Search demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships and the seminal role that intellectual property plays in spurring innovation to advance the global health agenda. An on-going WIPO Re:Search collaboration on malaria between MSD and Australia’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, for example, recently won a U.S. 3.6 million dollar Seeding Drug Discovery Early Stage Award from the Wellcome Trust. Using funds generously provided by the Government of Australia, between 2016 and 2020 WIPO Re:Search arranged 20 fellowships for scientists from 11 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) at advanced laboratories throughout Australia, Europe, and the USA. Ranging from three to six months, these exchanges resulted in over 100 months of training, thereby bolstering scientific capacity and knowledge of IP in LMICs.

  • WIPO Green: WIPO also contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through an online marketplace for sustainable technologies. WIPO GREEN is actively working to help unlock the innovation and creativity that are key to achieving the 17 UN SDGs, in particular, with a particular focus on the environmentally focused goals. WIPO GREEN supports global efforts to address climate change by connecting providers and seekers of environmentally friendly “green” technologies. Through its database, network and green technology acceleration projects, it brings together the public and private sector to catalyze green technology innovation and diffusion.

Launched in 2013, WIPO GREEN now counts 106 partners (compared with 65 in 2015). The platform is accessible from anywhere in the world at no charge. Today, the platform serves more than 1,500 international users from 63 countries (compared to 490 users at the end of 2015), including small and medium enterprises, universities and research institutions, as well as multinational companies and governments. It features 3180 technologies from 60 countries to address climate change, environmental and food-security challenges (there were 2086 technologies listed on the database in 2015, although these numbers are not comparable due to changing data-sharing arrangements with partner databases) and 256 needs for green tech solutions (95 in 2015). 

The Accessible Books Consortium (ABC), which is a private/public partnership aiming to increase the number of books worldwide in accessible formats - such as braille, audio, e-text, large print – to people who are blind, have low vision or are otherwise print disabled. It includes organizations that represent people with print disabilities such as the World Blind Union (WBU); libraries for the blind; standards bodies, and organizations representing authors, publishers and collective management organizations.

Since its inception in 2014, WIPO’s Accessible Books Consortium has been able to accelerate the implementation of SDG 4 through the following three activities:

  • ABC Global Book Service- is an online catalogue for the international exchange of accessible books by participating libraries for the blind, which share items in their collections and distribute accessible books obtained through ABC to their patrons who are print disabled. The ABC Global Book Service has expanded considerably, going from 11 libraries for the blind in 2014 to 71 libraries for the blind in 2020, of which 26 are from developing or least developed countries (LDCs). The Service has grown from a catalogue of 225,000 accessible titles in 2014 to a catalogue of 620,000 accessible titles in 2020 in 80 languages, with 500,000 of those titles available for cross-border exchange free from clearance formalities under the conditions of the Marrakesh Treaty.
  • Capacity Building- training and technical assistance in the latest accessible book production techniques is given to authorized entities, departments of education and publishers in developing countries and LDCs. Funding for the production of educational materials in national languages to be used by primary, secondary and university students who are print disabled is provided by ABC, so that the techniques taught during the training can be utilized immediately by the trainees. The first ABC capacity building project was established in Bangladesh in 2015 and was funded by the Government of Australia. Since that time, over 12,700 accessible educational titles in national languages have been produced through ABC projects in 17 developing or least developed countries.
  • Accessible Publishing- ABC promotes the production of “born accessible” works by publishers, that is, books that are usable from the start by both sighted persons and the print disabled. Publishers and publishers’ associations around the world are invited to sign the ABC Charter for Accessible Publishing, which contains eight high-level aspirational principles relating to digital publications in accessible formats. Since its launch in 2014, over 100 signatories have signed the ABC Charter, including 57 publishers who joined en masse through the Brazilian Publishers Association.

7. Has your organization organized any conferences, forums or events designed to facilitate exchange of experience, peer and mutual learning in connection with the SDGs? If yes, please provide a brief summary, below and include lessons learned and gaps identified based on the outcomes of these events. Please also include any events you want to organize in the coming years.

Several activities have been Organized by WIPO which aim to promote the role and impact of innovation (SDG 9) with regard to various challenges related to clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), to health (SDG 3), to education and economic growth (SDGs 4 and 8), to food security and to gender equality (SDG 2 and 5).

WIPO hosted an International Conference on IP and Development with the topic “How to Benefit from the IP System”, at its headquarters in Geneva. The Conference explored national, regional and international experiences on recent IP and development issues, and strategized on how best to benefit from the IP system. It explored how the IP system encourages innovation and how it could bring economic benefits; how the IP system could benefit creativity and consider the challenges faced by the creative industries. The Conference also discussed emerging trends in the IP field and their impact on issues such as global health, climate change and food security, as well as their impact on social, economic and cultural development.

In connection with SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), a Forum “Innovate for Water” was organized by WIPO. The forum aimed to promote the transfer of innovative water technologies and innovative business models in emerging markets and developing countries, and to foster interactions and dialogue between various water stakeholders, build networks, and raise awareness about water issues.

In connection with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), three events could be mentioned:

  • A seminar on innovation and access to vaccines was organized by in collaboration with Access to Medicine Foundation and the World Health Organization (WHO). The seminar considered the challenge of reaching global immunization coverage through increasing access to current and future vaccines. It examined the role of biopharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturers, looked at how the vaccine market works, explored the role of product development partnerships in the field, and discussed the Access to Vaccines Index published by the Access to Medicine Foundation;
  • WIPO and the research-based pharmaceutical industry launched a new partnership - “Pat-INFORMED” - to promote the accessibility of patent information for health agencies tasked with procurement of medicines. This initiative will link public patent information to registered medicines in a new online global gateway, helping health professionals to navigate the medicine-procurement process for the benefit of their citizens;
  • In the framework of the Trilateral Cooperation on Public Health, IP and Trade among WHO, WIPO and WTO, WIPO co-organized the eighth trilateral symposium on Cutting-Edge Health Technologies: Opportunities and Challenges. The symposium discussed how scientific progress and advances in health technologies have contributed to unprecedented improvements in health outcomes and pointed to significant challenges such as the unequal distribution of gains in life expectancy and quality of life among low, middle and high-income countries. The Symposium marked ten years of trilateral cooperation. The three organizations also participate in mutual training events;

With regard to SDG 4 (Quality Education), WIPO organized a High-level Regional Conference on publishing Industry in Africa and its role in Education and Development. The objective was to prepare an action plan to promote African publishing industry, with a focus on the education sector. The action plan would focus on the role of copyright in developing a sustainable national publishing industry that provides access to quality educational material in Africa.

In relation with SDGs 1, 2, 5, 8, and 9, WIPO organized a regional Forum on “Innovation and Intellectual Property as Engines for Competitive Agribusiness: Empowering Women Researchers and Entrepreneurs in Africa”. The Forum was an opportunity for African women researchers, scientists, entrepreneurs and IP experts to discuss how science, technology and innovation can foster the implementation of the SDGs, particularly those related to hunger, poverty, gender equality, economic growth, and innovation and how they can crucially contribute to food and nutritional security in Africa by increasing agricultural productivity, competitiveness, wealth creation, resilience and sustainability.

8. Is there any other information you would like to share, including annual reports of your organization and any impact assessment or evaluation reports? If yes, please use the space below and attach the document(s). Please also use this space to provide any other information, comments or remarks you deem necessary.

As indicated under question 1, WIPO’s Secretariat has been requested by the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) to present an annual report to the Committee, containing information on WIPO’s contribution to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its associated targets.

Attached is the last report reviewed by the Committee in 2019.

9. In your view, what should strategic directions look like for the UN system in support of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs in the Decade of Action? What key elements should they include and what major challenges should they address?

The political declaration adopted by the SDG Summit in September 2019 addressed this question. There is a compelling need to accelerate the pace of implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, within a systemic and holistic approach that takes into account interlinkages between Goals and targets. There is also a need to devote more effort to poverty eradication and to the main commitment of the Agenda to leave no one behind.

10. Please suggest one or two endeavours or initiatives that the UN system organizations could undertake together to support the implementation of the SDGs between now and 2030.

Relevant UN agencies should collaborate on activities that leverage innovation for the achievement of SDGs.

[1] It should be noted that eight programs are related to support functions.

ECESA Plus Member
WIPO
Year of submission: 2020