Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations
Geneva
Statement by India
Delivered by Shri. Rajiv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Government of India on the occasion of 57th Series of the Meetings of the Member States of WIPO on 2 October 2017
Mr. President,
On behalf of the delegation of India, I would like to compliment you for the leadership provided over the last year, and convey our best wishes to you and other Bureau Officers. I take this opportunity to congratulate Ambassador Doung of Vietnam on his election as the Chair of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO for the 2018/2019 biennium.
2. We would also like to compliment Director General, Mr. Francis Gurry, the Chef De Cabinet and ADG, Mr. Naresh Prasad who is also the Secretary to the Meetings of the WIPO Assemblies, and other members of the WIPO Secretariat, for their diligent and meticulous preparations for the Assemblies.
3. India would like to put on record its appreciation for Indonesia for the coordination of the Asia Pacific Group - as the Regional Coordinator.
Mr. President
4. A resilient, dynamic and robust Intellectual Property Ecosystem is the cornerstone of a country’s development and its credibility among the comity of nations. A balanced Intellectual Property Regime should promote innovation, protect IP Rights and at the same time safeguard the larger public interest. India has embarked upon an Intellectual Property Rights Policy conscientious of this delicate balance.
5. India has a well-established TRIPS compliant legislative, administrative and judicial framework to safeguard Intellectual Property Rights, which meets its international obligations while utilizing the flexibilities provided in the international regime to address its developmental priorities.
Mr. President
6. In recent years, India has taken a series of steps towards building a strong knowledge based economy and foster a culture of creativity and innovation. India’s flagship programmes such as Make in India, Digital India, Startup India have facilitated investment, enhanced skill development and have contributed towards the creation of intellectual property in India. The first TISC has already been established in India.
7. Among the middle-income economies, India has emerged as a leader in gross capital formation, research talent, high-tech and ICT services exports, growing number of high-tech manufacturers, and Intellectual Property receipts.
8. India’s IPR Policy provides a stable bedrock to India’s Intellectual Property Milieu. The clarion call of India’s National IPR Policy is Creative India; Innovative India. There has been an increase in the human resources at the Indian Intellectual Property Offices. We have embarked upon a massive digitisation and modernisation process with in India’s IP Infrastructure with the singular aim of bringing consistency, uniformity, and transparency. India is increasingly being recognised as a pro-IP destination, fostering creativity and innovation.
9. The latest Global Innovation Index report by WIPO, acknowledges India’s efforts to support IPRs and innovation. India has seen a jump of 21 places in the last two years. Indian Patent Office provides high quality reports at the lowest cost among all the ISAs/IPEAs in the world,
Mr. President
10. The creation of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) has been a significant achievement for India, a country with a vast pool of traditional knowledge. India has been able to prevent attempts to misappropriate its traditional knowledge with the help of this digital library, particularly with those countries that have included TKDL in their search. We look forward to working closely with WIPO to make this first-of-its-kind digital library a part of PCT minimum documentation.
11. India is one of the proponents for hosting an External Office of WIPO in its national capacity. I’d like to assure Member States that opening of an EO in India will strengthen Global IP System. Delegation of India would like to seek the support of the member states and give serious consideration to its proposal.
12. Development of normative framework is one of the important functions of WIPO, and we look forward to more progress in this regard. India welcomes the progress made in the work of IGC and looks forward to an early finalization of an International legal instrument for the effective protection of Traditional Knowledge, Traditional Cultural Expressions and Genetic Resources. India would like disclosure, prior informed consent and equitable access and benefit sharing based on mutually agreed terms to be included in the international instrument/instruments. From India’s perspective it is important to find adequate ways to protect freely available traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions which may subsist in codified and non-codified forms.
13. India expects an early finalisation of the text of the Design Law Treaty. We support the incorporation of "technical assistance" as an article in the DLT.
14. India reiterates its support for a treaty on the protection of broadcasting organisations in accordance with the mandate of 2007 WIPO General Assembly.
Mr. President,
15. WIPO Member States along with the WIPO Secretariat have taken praiseworthy steps to ensure greater development orientation in WIPO’s work and the mainstreaming of the Development Agenda. India supports an institutional mechanism which can monitor the effective implementation of WIPO’s Development Agenda and its correlation with the SDGs.
Mr. President
16. India was the first country to ratify the ‘Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled’. This Treaty will go a long way in creating an inclusive society and enhance access to knowledge.
Mr. President
17. We would also like to acknowledge the commendable role played by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India as the External Auditor of WIPO for the financial year 2016. We commend the WIPO management as well, for their positive response to the recommendations made by the External Auditors and measures taken by them for improvements in different areas. The Supreme Audit Institute of India is one of the most credible international auditors, well recognized not only in WIPO but also in other United Nations bodies.
18. By happy coincidence, today is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace and non-violence and we look forward to working together as a comity of Nations towards achieving his ideals.
19. The delegation of India looks forward to actively participating and contributing to the deliberations during this General Assembly.
I thank you, Mr. President.
