The God-given human dignity is the foundation of our coexistence and must remain the essential basis on which to build such accord. In this regard, the Holy See notes with appreciation the exclusion of human genetic resources from the scope of the Treaty.
Statement of H.E. Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, Apostolic Nuncio,
Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations
and Other International Organizations in Geneva at the
65th Series of the Assemblies of WIPO Member States
Geneva, 9 July 2024
Mr. Chair, Director General, Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, and Distinguished Delegates,
The Holy See would like to express its gratitude to you, Mr. Chair, and the Secretariat for all the hard work that has been invested in preparing these Assemblies, which presents a valuable opportunity to take stock of the year’s work and chart a course for the future.
The Holy See welcomes the recent adoption by consensus of the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge. This marks a success for multilateralism and represents a significant step forward in our collective endeavour to advance a dynamic forward-looking IP system.
It appreciates that the document addresses the participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in manner that is sensitive to the specific cultural and juridical contexts in which they live.
The God-given human dignity is the foundation of our coexistence and must remain the essential basis on which to build such accord. In this regard, the Holy See notes with appreciation the exclusion of human genetic resources from the scope of the Treaty.
Furthermore, the Holy See is of the opinion that this significant advancement in the field will help facilitate the revitalization of negotiations on traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, ultimately leading to a favourable outcome at the upcoming Diplomatic Conference to conclude and adopt a Design Law Treaty (DLT). It is crucial to recognize the importance of decision making by consensus as the foundation of WIPO’s success.
In conclusion, the Holy See reaffirms its commitment to collaborate with WIPO in order to foster constructive dialogue with the objective of advancing the IP-system, with a view to promoting the common good of humanity. This will be achieved by ensuring that each person is afforded the ability to enjoy fully their fundamental human rights and freedoms. This will ultimately be an important step towards integral human development, which can only be achieved “when all members of the human family are included in, and contribute to, pursuing the common good”.[1]
Thank you, Mr. Chair.