The Sixty-Fourth Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO was held in Geneva, Switzerland from 6th – 14th July 2023. The twenty-two Assemblies, and other bodies of the member states of WIPO and of the Unions administered by WIPO which meets annually bring together WIPOโs member states to take stock of the progress in the Organizationโs work and to discuss future policy directions.
Ms. Tashi Wangmo, Secretary for the Ministry of Industry Commerce and Employment led the
Bhutanese delegation to the Assemblies. Addressing the Assemblies during the general debate, Secretary Tashi Wangmo highlighted the initiatives underway in Bhutan in the field of intellectual property, and the importance of tangible outcomes from WIPO’s Intergovernmental Committee on Traditional Knowledge (TK), Traditional Cultural Expressions (TCEs) and Genetic Resources (GR). She called on the member states to strike a balance between protecting IP rights and promoting wider access to knowledge and technology and therefore a greater need for a more robust international cooperation.
On the sidelines of the Assemblies, Tashi Wangmo met officials from various divisions of WIPO to review on-going collaboration and identify future areas of support from WIPO. She also held bilateral meetings with other delegations including officials of the World Economic Forum to discuss possible areas of cooperation.