Participants were welcomed by WTO Deputy Director-General Anabel González and WIPO Assistant Director-General Edward Kwakwa. Speakers and participants discussed the importance of capacity building, coherent policymaking and the need for developing networks of experts as fast-evolving challenges, emerging technologies and global interconnectedness continue to push the boundaries of IP law and policy. 

Participants were updated on IP legal instruments, policies and multilateral developments, and were able to exchange information, experience, and ideas on IP issues. The course was designed to equip participants with the tools to develop and apply domestic policies that contribute to the IP development process and the achievement of domestic policy objectives. The programme provided a platform for dialogue and partnership among peers and put national experiences and strategies at the centre of the discussion.

Featured topics

Expert presentations, discussion sessions, panel deliberations, and practical exercises took place during the two weeks of the course covering a wide range of subjects, including:

• intellectual property (IP) systems and public policy issues
• interplay among artificial intelligence, intellectual property and economic development
• international treaties and conventions governing intellectual property
• IP and its relation to international trade, public health, biotechnology plant varieties, climate change, biodiversity and competition policy
• current international practices in copyright, undisclosed information, trademarks, industrial designs, geographical indications, patents and trade secrets
• innovation, IP management and transfer of technology
• recent developments in WIPO and the WTO on genetic resources, traditional knowledge and traditional culture expressions
• IP and e-commerce — a discussion on regulatory responses at the international level
• enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPRs) and dispute settlement mechanisms
• use of IP by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Learning from the experts

Participants heard from a variety of IP experts. Experts from the WTO, WIPO, the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and the World Health Organization (WHO) addressed participants, as well as international IP experts from academia, NGOs and the private sector.