The World Intellectual Property Organiz ation ( WIPO), a United Nations (UN) specialized agency, is dedicated to the promotion of innovation and creativity for the economic, social and cultural development of all countries through a balanced and effective international intellectual property (IP) system.

In a world where the economic growth of nations is driven increasingly by the creativity and ingenuity of their people, effective IP systems
– which create incentives for innovation, and structures for sharing
the results – are key to unlocking this human potential. Once seen
primarily as a technical matter for legal experts, IP is now a high priority for governments, businesses, researchers, academics, individual
creators and civil society.

 

Core Activities

WIPO is the lead intergovernmental organization dedicated to the promotion and use of IP. Its diverse activities include:

• Administering 24 multilateral treaties and working with member states to build agreement on and to support the evolution of the international legal framework for IP
• Providing global IP ser vices that make it easier and more cost-effective to obtain protection internationally for new inventions, brands, designs and appellations of origin; and providing arbitration, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution services
• Assisting governments and organizations in establishing national and regional IP and innovation strategies, developing appropriate regulatory frameworks for IP and building the infrastructure and human capacity needed to harness the potential of IP for economic development
• Providing technical infrastructure that includes: facilitating access to WIPO’s world-standard databases of IP information; developing technical platforms to facilitate exchange of information among IP offices; training and tools for using IP information
• Building awareness, understanding and respect for IP – including playing a leading role in encouraging and facilitating international dialogue on enforcementrelated issues, as well as providing training and education programs 
• Working in partnership with the UN and other organizations to identify and promote IP-based solutions to climate change, food security, public health and other global challenges

 

WIPO’s Strategic Goals

The nine strategic goals, which provide the framework for WIPO’s biennial Program and Budget, are:

1. A balanced evolution of the international normative framework for IP
2. Provision of premier global IP services
3. Facilitating the use of IP for development 
4. Coordination and development of global IP infrastructure
5. World reference source for IP information and analysis 
6. International cooperation on building respect for IP
7. Addressing IP in relation to global policy issues
8. A responsive communications interface between WIPO, its member states and all stakeholders
9. An efficient administrative and financial support structure to enable WIPO to deliver its programs

 

WIPO and its Partners

WIPO cooperates with other UN agencies and specialized bodies in Geneva and around the world, with the aim of ensuring that its activities contribute effectively to UN-wide initiatives and to the achievement
of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Among WIPO’s partnership initiatives are:

• WIPO external offices based in New York, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore and Tokyo – which help to manage the network of relationships with international, regional and national partner organizations
• Its external relations function, which enables a coherent organizational approach to relations with the external community, including the UN and other international organizations
• Its efforts to mobilize extrabudgetary resources by seeking out new partners and potential donors able to provide additional resources for developmentrelated projects