Talking To The Director General

What was your first priority during your first three months in office?

The most pressing priority was to agree with our Member States on a new strategic framework and a substantially revised Program and Budget for 2009. This was a very intensive process. It involved re-defining the strategic goals of the Organization in the light of the changing technological, cultural and geo-economic environment, and then starting to realign all our programs and resources in accordance with those goals.

We now have nine new strategic goals. As well as covering our work to promote a balanced evolution of the international normative framework for IP, to provide premier IP services, and to facilitate the use of IP for development, they include a new focus on building respect for IP; on responsive communication; on developing international IP infrastructures; on establishing WIPO as a world reference source for IP information; and on addressing IP in relation to global policy challenges, such as climate change, public health and food security.

The next task is to bring the structure of the Organization into line with the new strategic framework. This is part of a systematic Strategic Realignment process, which I started in October and which will continue throughout the year. The restructuring involves a lot of movement of staff between different programs. It is moving ahead quickly thanks to the impressive flexibility and forward-looking spirit of staff throughout the Organization.

You also highlighted improved communication as an immediate priority?

Yes. I believe that responsive communication with our stakeholders is paramount. As well as introducing greater transparency in the consultations with our Member States, we have also reorganized our Communications Division and launched a major new customer service initiative. The aim is to enable WIPO to respond more effectively to the numerous daily requests that we receive for information and services.

You mentioned climate change just now. What can WIPO do about this?

First, it is clear that tackling the threats associated with global warming requires significant investment in innovation to develop climate-friendly technologies. Equally, these new technologies need to be diffused rapidly across the economy. One practical contribution that WIPO might make, therefore, is to provide an open innovation platform, where companies could disclose their green technologies with a view to research collaboration on...