Vietnamese diplomat elected to lead global intellectual property agency

Vietnamese ambassador in Geneva has been selected to chair the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) General Assembly from next year.

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the U.N. and other international organizations in Geneva, will hold the post during the 2018-2019 term following a vote at a conference held on Monday.

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung (second left) at a World Intellectual Property Organization conference in Geneva. Photo by VnExpress/Mai Ha

Pham Cong Tac, vice minister of science and technology, who also attended the conference, said that Dung’s appointment “marked an important milestone in Vietnam’s multilateral diplomacy.”

The World Intellectual Property Organization was created in 1967 as the global forum for intellectual property services, policy, information and cooperation. It is a self-funding agency under the U.N. with 191 member states.

Vietnam joined the organization in 1976. The country was elected to chair its Program and Budget Committee from 2013-2015, and its Coordination Committee from 2014-2015.