KATHMANDU: Chief Secretary Somlal Subedi today met the Director General of World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Francis Gurry, at the latter’s office in Geneva, Switzerland.

According to a statement released by the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in Geneva, Chief Secretary Subedi acknowledged the relations between WIPO and the country; and thanked the WIPO for the role it had been playing in developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property system.

It further said that Subedi apprised Gurry of challenges faced by Nepal in the conservation and utilisation of the rich biodiversity, traditional knowledge and folklore. He also underlined the need of human, institutional and physical infrastructures to harness the opportunities of such richness.

Similarly, Subedi emphasised the importance of a comprehensive IP policy including the sector of traditional knowledge and genetic resources in Nepal.

He thanked the Director General for the WIPO’s ongoing assistance to Nepal and welcomed WIPO for its readiness in assisting the Government of Nepal in the sector.

Chief Secretary was accompanied by Deepak Dhital, Ambassador / Permanent Representative of Nepal in Geneva, high officials from the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and the Permanent Mission of Nepal in Geneva.

Subedi is currently leading a Nepali delegation to the UN Human Rights Council meeting that adopts the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) outcome of Nepal on Wednesday in Geneva.