SINGAPORE: Mr Daren Tang has been officially appointed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)'s next director-general.
Mr Tang, who is currently the chief executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), will helm the specialised United Nations (UN) agency from Oct 1 for a term of six years, the Ministry of Law and IPOS said in a joint press release on Friday (May 8).
AdvertisementAdvertisementThis marks the first time a Singaporean will lead a UN agency, and Mr Tang will be WIPO’s first director-general from Asia.
The confirmation comes after it was announced in March that Mr Tang had won the nomination for the position in Geneva, beating five other candidates for the job.
[h=3]READ: Singaporean Daren Tang set to head UN intellectual property agency WIPO[/h]With his appointment, Mr Tang will relinquish his role as chief executive of IPOS, said the Ministry of Law and IPOS in their joint release.
AdvertisementAdvertisementDuring his time at IPOS, Mr Tang drove the "strategic transformation" of the statutory board from an IP registry and regulator into "an innovation agency that helps to build Singapore’s future economy", said the two bodies.
“Congratulations to Daren for being the first Singaporean to lead a UN agency and to be appointed as director-general of WIPO. This is a momentous occasion for Singapore,” said Senior Minister of State for Law Edwin Tong.
Dr Stanley Lai, Chairman of the IPOS board, also congratulated Mr Tang and offered words of praise.
“Having worked with him for several years, the board is certain that the global IP community will be served by a director-general who is exceptionally attuned to the interests of countries, economies and also equipped with a deep understanding of IP and its forceful impact on innovation and global development, especially during these challenging times," he said.
“These qualities will serve WIPO, her member states and the larger IP community well.”
BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE, FORWARD-LOOKING GLOBAL IP ECOSYSTEM
In his acceptance speech, Mr Tang outlined the global challenges faced by the world today, including the “deeper forces of unilateralism and parochialism” threatening to undermine multilateral institutions, and urged member states to respond by working “even more closely together” through a common, global effort.
Laying out his plans for WIPO, he spoke of the need to build an inclusive, balanced, vibrant, and forward-looking global IP ecosystem, including paying special attention to countries that need more help.
“Special attention must be paid to those that need more help, especially the developing countries and the least developed among them,” said Mr Tang.
“After 50 years, there are still many member states who continue to feel that it is not clear how IP has brought concrete benefits to their communities or their economies. This must be addressed."
He also spoke about the need to work with IP offices to support stakeholders within countries - artists, creators, start-ups and enterprises - in accessing training and support.
WIPO must also help broaden the global perspective of IP beyond its technical aspects, to its role as a supporter of entrepreneurs, driver of economic growth and promoter of "social vibrancy", said Mr Tang.
He noted the agency should leverage on its role as a global, neutral and professional platform for IP offices to come together to discuss common challenges, share best practices and incubate projects.
Other priorities include leveraging on WIPO's data to help members make better operational and policy decisions, and improving current international registration systems for IP protection.
Mr Tang also expressed his thanks to the chair of WIPO's assembly, chair of the coordination committee and all member states for their trust and support.
"My profound gratitude also goes to the Singapore Government, whose support for me as its nominee was critical to the successful outcome of the campaign," he added.
"I am proud to be a son of Singapore, and my hope is to bring the values of professionalism, integrity, inclusiveness and multilateralism, all of which are very much part of the Singapore ethos, in the service of (the) global IP community."
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