Bangladesh celebrated the World Intellectual Property Day 2020 on April 26 virtually. The programme was jointly organised by the Copyright Office Bangladesh, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Government of Bangladesh and Center for Policy Research, Bangladesh.

Professor Dr M Kamal Uddin, Senior Partner & CEO, Centre for Policy Research, Bangladesh & Former Director (Head), Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET) was the keynote speaker of the World IP Day 2020.  Professor Dr S Rama Rao, CEO of the IPDP – Intellectual Property Development Program, New York and former Director, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Jafor Raja Chowdhury, Registrar of Copyright Office Bangladesh, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and Md Abul Kalam Azad, Senior Partner, Centre for Policy Research, Bangladesh, were the other discussants on the theme Innovate for a Green Future.

Dr Kamal delivered a speech about how innovation and intellectual property rights can play a great role in opening a new pathway to a green future of Bangladesh. He discussed the roadmap to develop the National Innovation System (NIS) that encourages and supports innovation. He stressed the need of strengthening and encouraging R&D activities to develop indigenous technology and products, alongside their commercialisation.

Dr Rao explained the importance of World Intellectual Property Day 2020, the role and function of WIPO in protecting and promoting intellectual property globally as well as its technical assistance to developing countries and LDCs, including Bangladesh in this field through its development agenda. He also gave an overview of the legal, normative and institutional structure of WIPO and its global services in the sectors of patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyrights, which are efficient, fast and cost effective to help inventors and creators.

Turning to 'Innovate for a Green Future', the theme of this year's World IP Day, Dr Rao underscored the need to streamline science, technology and innovation (STI) and create new means in areas of energy and greenhouse gas emissions, which will reduce and mitigate threats of climate change and guarantee a green future. He pleaded that more needed to be done by the Government of Bangladesh and private sectors, as well as aid agencies who should provide these institutions with necessary resources so that they can contribute significantly to the sustainable development of the country.