WIPO: The pressing need for equality

As the world deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing diversity and achieving gender equality is even more important, says Francis Gurry, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

It is my great pleasure to contribute a few words of introduction to World Intellectual Property Review’s “Influential Women in IP” publication.

IP exists to encourage innovation and creativity, which stimulate improvements in our quality of life and provide opportunities to confront and overcome systemic challenges. Without gender equality, however, humanity is sadly missing out on realising its full innovative and creative potential. 

With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing diversity and achieving gender equality is even more important: humankind needs all hands on deck in the fight against this pathogen. New treatments, therapeutics and, hopefully, a vaccine are anxiously awaited by the global public.