Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

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Otar Shamugia attends the opening ceremony of the Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications.

The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Otar Shamugia, attended the opening ceremony of the Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indication. 

 The event was organized jointly by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia – "Sakpatenti".

The system of Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications is one of the main determinants for ensuring the quality of agricultural products, protecting the interests of consumers and creating fair competition conditions for businesses. In parallel with the increase in production in the country, exports are also expanding, implying that Georgian products are gaining their place in worldwide markets. Moreover, preserving and marketing products protected by geographical indication and designation of origin stimulates economic growth, and these types of agro-food products are in great demand on the market.

The names of 29 different types of wines, 8 types of mineral waters, and 26 food are now protected by geographical indication at the National Intellectual Protection Center of Georgia.
In addition, the wine vessel "Kvevri" became the first non-food product to be included in the state register of geographical indicators in 2021." Mr Shamugia stated in his speech at the symposium.

In 2017, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture established a "Marketing Council to promote the development of geographical indication schemes in Georgia, including product branding, introducing international marketing practices, and improving legislative and institutional mechanisms for their protection". The marketing council conducts activities compliant with international practice and actively collaborates with Sakpatent, international organizations, and other stakeholders. Furthermore, the  Department of Food Policy of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture is actively working on developing quality schemes and improving legal protection mechanisms.

Within the framework of the symposium, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Otar Shamugia, met with Mr. Binying Wang, the Deputy Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The Minister thanked the leadership of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia for organizing the World Symposium.
As mentioned, the protection and control of appellations of origin and geographical indications are one of the challenges faced by the world and Georgia. Therefore, the Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications in Tbilisi plays a significant role by providing an opportunity to get familiar with the abovementioned issues and share international experiences.

Mr Levan Davitashvili, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia; Mr. Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); Ms. Wang Binying, Deputy Director General of WIPO. Mr. Soso Giorgadze, Chairman of the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia – "Sakpatenti", made opening remarks at the Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications.

Within the framework of the symposium, on June 14-16, sessions will be held on the following topics: Branding and Marketing Strategies for Geographical Indications; selected examples of developing geographical indication schemes; Geographical indications in the tourism value chain: gastronomic tourism/wine tourism; management of geographical indications, quality of products bearing a geographical indication; geographical indications, trade names; cooperation for geographical indications.