The State of Qatar opened Monday in Geneva an exhibition entitled, "Qatar: The Past, Present, and Future", on the sidelines of the meetings of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights, in co-operation with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Qatar National Library (QNL), the Qatar Museums and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy are participating in the exhibition.
The exhibition, which lasts for a week, will witness many events that contribute to highlighting the various aspects of Qatari heritage and intellectual property, including a photo exhibition, henna art, calligraphy, and painting, as well as presentations related to the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
QNL and Qatar Museums will also showcase various photos and videos.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, through its pavilion at the exhibition highlights the services it provides in the field of intellectual property, whether for authors, patents and the public.
Several Their Excellencies Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives of UN Member States in Geneva and representatives of international organisations attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition.
HE Minister of Commerce and Industry Ali bin Ahmed al-Kuwari referred, in a speech during the opening ceremony, to the world's keen interest on intellectual property rights (IPR), adding that the State of Qatar along with other members have stressed, during the WIPO meetings held in the past two weeks, that this interest is driven by the progress in many areas including technology and education, as well as significant investments dedicated to promoting innovation in order to develop new projects and industries.
The Minister emphasised the necessity of concerting multilateral efforts to establish an international intellectual property system.
He said that all countries possess and cherish their wealth of human capital, literature, artistic works, crafts, folklore, genetic and biological origins, stressing in this context the need to work to develop the current intellectual property landscape.
The Minister pointed out that the State of Qatar has set a time frame for the implementation of its national strategy on intellectual property, which aims to update its legislation in line with international standards.
He added that this strategy is in line with Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to build a knowledge-based economy and transform Qatar into a developed country capable of achieving sustainable development.
He also mentioned the many challenges that could be faced in the international community in this regard, adding that it is imperative for everyone to protect the global intellectual property system, in light of the global rise in trade protectionism and unilateral measures imposed in a global economy that depends on creativity and innovation.
Providing strong intellectual property protection has become critical, he said.
In a related context, the Minister said that the protection of the rights of broadcasting organisations is one of the main challenges facing the State of Qatar, like many other member states.
"This issue has long been a subject of discussion within the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) and we thought it would be appropriate to host this side event on the sidelines of this very important committee meeting," he said.
In this context, the Minister commended the tireless efforts and dedication of member states in advancing the work of the SCCR to enhance the protection and application of intellectual property rights.
It reiterated the State of Qatar's commitment to actively participate in the SCCR work, pointing to the support provided by Doha to the member states in order to achieve a consensus and to conclude an international convention for the protection of broadcasting organisations, voicing Qatar's readiness to host a diplomatic conference thereon.
Concluding his speech, the Minister expressed his gratitude to the WIPO Secretariat for its efforts and assistance in making the "Qatar The Past, Present and Future" exhibition a success.
Deputy Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Sylvie Forbin praised the exhibition, commending the close co-operation between Qatar and WIPO and the significant developments in Qatar in the field of intellectual property.
She also commended Qatar's efforts and interest in the ongoing negotiations in the organisation with a view to developing an international treaty for the protection of broadcasting organisations.
She said the State of Qatar, which hosts the 2022 FIFA World Cup and invests in the exclusive rights of a number of sports events, has the right to ensure the protection of the rights of broadcasting organisations in it, pointing out that sports channels and other international broadcasting organisations have been subjected to piracy and illegal violations of their rights.
On the sidelines of the SCCR meeting at WIPO headquarters in Geneva, the Minister of Commerce and Industry met with Deputy Director General of the WIPO Forbin, and Chair of the SCCR Daren Tang.
The meeting discussed ways of enhancing co-operation between the State of Qatar and the WIPO, ways of developing intellectual property protection policies for the State of Qatar and the possibilities of activating the agreements signed between the two sides, in addition to investing the technical support provided by the organisation.
