The 50th session of the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (WIPO IGC) is ongoing in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Ukrainian delegation joined the work of the Intergovernmental Committee at WIPO Headquarters, including:

• Bogdan Paduchak, First Deputy Director of UANIPIO;

• Ramiz Ramazanov, Counsellor of the Economic Section of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN Office and other International Organisations in Geneva.

Statement of the Ukrainian delegation

In his statement, Bogdan Paduchak reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to advancing the protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities and reminded the WIPO IGC Committee that these days Ukraine commemorates two tragic anniversaries – the 11th anniversary of Crimea`s resistance to the occupation and the 3rd anniversary of russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. 

He stressed that russia continues to destroy Ukraine’s history, culture and intellectual property system.

“Since the illegal occupation of Crimea, the Indigenous Crimean Tatar people have faced systematic persecution, including intimidation, imprisonment and forced conscription of over 50, 000 people since 2015. Those rejecting russian citizenship faced threats and deportation,” stressed the representative of the Ukrainian delegation . 

Bogdan Paduchak also noted that on 26 February 2025, a russian drone strike in the Kyiv region killed journalist and author Tetiana Kulyk and her husband, Professor Pavlo Ivanchov, an inventor and head of the Department of Surgery at the Bogomolets National Medical University. Professor Ivanchov was the author of 21 patents for inventions and utility models, as well as numerous scientific articles.

“russia is killing our people – our inventors, authors and cultural figures. It has damaged or destroyed more than 2,100 cultural infrastructure sites and continues its oppressions of Indigenous peoples,” he stated. 

The First Deputy Director of UANIPIO stressed that the russian federation should bear legal responsibility for all its illegal actions and persecution of Indigenous peoples and communities related to IP, as well as the russian aggressive war undermines the efforts of WIPO and UN agencies and contradicts the UN Charter. Therefore, russia should not have any privileges or honours within WIPO.

Support of the world

Many countries supported Ukraine’s statement and condemned russia, as well as commemorated the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion, both in national capacities and on behalf of groups of countries, including: 

• Estonia (on behalf of 17 CEBS members);

• Poland (on behalf of the EU and its 26 member states, as well as in a national capacity);

• Sweden (on behalf of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland);

• as well as the United Kingdom, France, Lithuania, Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Australia, Spain, and Italy.

These countries reaffirmed their solidarity with Ukraine, its people and its right to sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, and strongly condemned russia’s unprovoked and illegal war against Ukraine, as well as its consequences for civilians, infrastructure and international security.

Delegations called on russia to immediately cease its aggression, withdraw its troops from Ukraine and uphold international law, highlighting the devastating impact of the war on Ukraine’s intellectual property ecosystem, research institutions, creative industries and human capital.

A number of statements referred to the global dimension of security and stressed that the war in Ukraine has negative strategic consequences for the whole of Europe and the world, and therefore the international community must respond more determinedly.

The countries welcomed the WIPO decision to provide assistance to Ukraine, underscored the need for further support and expressed their readiness to continue political, economic, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine, as well as to contribute to its recovery from the war.