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WIPO vs ICH?

What does the adoption of the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge mean for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage?

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We are pleased to share that our Chairholder, Professor Hanna Schreiber, who – together with Professor Janet Blake – co-founded in 2023 the Working Group on Legal and Policy Development in the ICH NGO Forum (https://www.ichngoforum.org/wg/legal-and-policy-development/), supported an organization of the recent webinar hosted by this Working Group. This webinar, held on November 26th, focused on the implications of the newly adopted WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge for the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). It hosted presentations by Martin Michaus and Wend Wendland, which were followed by a discussion moderated by the event’s initiators: Lily Martinet and Jose Gustavo Caicedo. Download the leaflet here.

The event highlighted critical discussions at the intersection of intellectual property and cultural heritage. The webinar’s discourse explored the evolving relationship between the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH and the new WIPO treaty.

The webinar served as a platform to demystify the treaty’s core concepts and explore its potential impact on ICH bearers, practitioners, and heritage professionals. By co-organizing this event, valuable dialogue and collaboration were fostered within the international community dedicated to the preservation and protection of cultural heritage.

We extend our gratitude to all organizers and participants for their invaluable contributions to this important initiative. For those interested, the more information can be found on the ICH NGO Forum’s official website.


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