Centre on Knowledge Governance

Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine
2025-12-17 09:00 - 2025-12-19 17:00 (Asia/Kolkata) | New Delhi, India, India
The second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine is titled “Restoring balance: The science and practice of health and well-being.”

Centre on Knowledge Governance Launch & Reception
2025-12-03 18:00 - 21:30 (Europe/Paris) | Geneva Graduate Institute, Chem. Eugène-Rigot 2, 1202 Genève, Switzerland, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland
Why are we the Centre on “Knowledge Governance”? Is the present system of Intellectual Property working to meet people’s needs, or do we need new approaches to governing knowledge that go beyond the present limits of IP? Join our book launch, panel discussion to reflect on these questions with some of the finest minds, and celebrate the launch of the Centre with us! Doors open at 6pm for light refreshments.

6.30pm: Book Launch: “The Journey to the WIPO Treaty on Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge (Policy, Process and People) ” by Wend Wendland
Wend Wendland
former Director of the Traditional Knowledge Division at WIPO and
former Secretary of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) at WIPO

H.E. Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota
Permanent Representative of Brazil to the WTO

followed by

7.10pm: Panel Discussion: Can IP respond to people’s needs in the 21st Century?
Ruth L. Okediji
Jeremiah Smith, Jr., Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Co-Director, Berkman Klein Center and Faculty Director, Center for the Study of African Societies and Economies (CSASE)

Ellen ‘t Hoen
Director, Medicines Law & Policy

Sean Flynn
Director of the Geneva Centre on Knowledge Governance

Moderated by Ben Cashdan
South African TV Producer, Former economic advisor to President Nelson Mandela

followed by

8.00pm: Reception: Finger food and drinks
Join us to celebrate the Geneva Knowledge Centre’s launch with a Swiss apéro and a chance to learn about the Centre’s agenda and priorities for 2026.

Fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement
2025-12-01 09:00 - 2025-12-05 17:00 UTC | Geneva, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland
The Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement is tasked with establishing an instrument for Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing as an annex to the Pandemic Agreement.

Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights, SCCR (47th session)
2025-12-01 - 2025-12-05 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Online Briefing on WIPO SCCR 47
2025-11-25 16:00 - 17:30 (Europe/Paris) | https://knowledgegov.org/event/online-briefing-on-wipo-sccr-47/
Preview and analysis of issues on the agenda of the 47th Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights of the World Intellectual Property Organization
You are cordially invited to a briefing of research and analysis related to the agenda of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s 47th Meeting of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights sponsored by the Centre on Knowledge Governance and including members of the Access to Knowledge Coalition of research, education and cultural heritage organizations.
AGENDA
For each agenda item, experts will summarize the current state of play and new documents being considered followed by brief presentations of new products of research and analysis and comments by experts and stakeholders.

LIMITATIONS & EXCEPTIONS
TREATY ON THE PROTECTION OF BROADCAST ORGANIZATIONS
OTHER MATTERS, INCLUDING COPYRIGHT IN THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT

Research and analysis products will be distributed to all registered participants and posted at https://knowledgegov.org/focus-area/wipo-negotiations/
Participating experts will include:

Sean Flynn, Director, Centre on Knowledge Governance (CKG)
Ben Cashdan, Communications Director, CKG
Luca Schirru, Research Director, CKG
Susan Strba, Counsel and Senior Research Fellow, CKG
Andres Isquierdo, Counsel, CKG
Jonathan Band, Director, Library Copyright Alliance
James Love, Director, Knowledge Ecology International
Luis Villarroel, Executive Director, Innovarte
Nirmalya Syam, Senior Programme Officer of the Health, Intellectual Property and Biodiversity (HIPB) Programme of the South Centre

Other experts TBA

Committee on Development and Intellectual Property, CDIP (35th Session)
2025-11-17 - 2025-11-21 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Committee on WIPO Standards (13th session)
2025-11-10 - 2025-11-14 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Third meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement
2025-11-03 09:00 - 2025-11-07 17:00 UTC | Geneva, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland

Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (37th session)
2025-11-03 - 2025-11-07 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement: Informal meetings
2025-10-06 09:00 - 17:00 UTC | Geneva, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland

Wend Wendland, "Beyond Adoption": 14th Peter A. Jaszi Distinguished Lecture on Intellectual Property
2025-09-25 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | AU Washington College of Law, Washington, DC, United States
14th Peter A. Jaszi Distinguished Lecture on Intellectual Property

Delivered by Professor Wend Wendland

Beyond Adoption: Why it Matters and What’s Next for the New WIPO Treaty on IP, Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge

September 25, 2025 | 6:00pm ET | In-Person and Online | NT01 Registration Requested

About the Lecture:
In his lecture, Professor Wendland will address the significance and broader implications of the new Treaty for IP policymaking and knowledge governance, including the future of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions protection, in light of the limited number of ratifications to date and emerging resistance to the Treaty from some countries.
Professor Wend Wendland
Professor Wend Wendland is a distinguished intellectual property expert with over 35 years of experience spanning the public and private sectors. He served as Director of the Traditional Knowledge Division at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), reporting to the Global Challenges and Partnerships Sector leadership. In this role, he also held the position of Secretary of WIPO’s Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore, playing a pivotal role in norm-setting and capacity-building at the intersection of IP, biodiversity, traditional knowledge and cultural expressions
Professor Wendland was instrumental in facilitating the adoption of the landmark WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge in May 2024, reflecting his dedication to equitable and inclusive governance in IP. Since January 2018, Wendland has held the position of Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, where he teaches in the Department of Commercial Law, engaging with emerging debates at the nexus of IP, human rights and sustainable development.
Prior to joining WIPO in 2008, he practiced law as a partner at Webber Wentzel—one of South Africa’s leading law firms—from 1987 to 1997. Based in Geneva during his tenure at WIPO, Wendland continues to contribute to scholarly publications, negotiations, and policy discourse, drawing on his expertise in global governance, IP strategy, and rights-based approaches to traditional knowledge stewardship.
About the Series:
PIJIP’s Distinguished Lecture on Intellectual Property Law is named in recognition of the continuing contributions of Professor Peter A. Jaszi to the study of intellectual property at WCL, in the world at large, and in particular for his lasting contributions to the elevation of the public interest in intellectual property discourse.
The Peter A. Jaszi Distinguished Lecture on Intellectual Property is supported by tax-deductible contributions to the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property.

https://www.american.edu/wcl/impact/initiatives-programs/pijip/events/14th-peter-a-jaszi-distinguished-lecture-on-intellectual-property.cfm

Second meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement
2025-09-15 09:00 - 2025-09-19 17:00 (Europe/Amsterdam) | Geneva, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland

First meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement
2025-07-09 09:00 - 2025-07-10 17:00 (Europe/Amsterdam) | Geneva, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland

Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO (66th Series)
2025-07-08 - 2025-07-17

User Rights Symposium
2025-06-16 - 2025-06-17

Copyright and the Public Interest: Africa & The Global South Conference
2025-02-03 - 2025-02-06
