Mr. Chair,

My delegation aligns itself with the statements delivered by the Groups to which we belong, and congratulates you, Mr. Chair, and the Vice‑Chairs on your election to preside over this Session.

We thank Director General Tang and the WIPO Secretariat for their excellent preparation of these Assemblies, and their ongoing support in strengthening national intellectual property ecosystems. 

Director-General Tang, Rwanda congratulates you once again on your re-election to a second term, and wishes you continued success in advancing our shared goals.

We recognize intellectual property as a key driver of innovation, creativity and sustainable economic development, and we value our partnership with WIPO in strengthening our national intellectual property ecosystem.

Over the past year, Rwanda has benefited from several WIPO-supported initiatives, including the regional workshop on Text and Data Mining under the CDIP programme,  and the launch, in December 2025, of a customized distance learning programme developed with the WIPO Academy, an important milestone in expanding IP knowledge among national stakeholders.

Looking ahead, Rwanda is ready to begin developing its National Intellectual Property Strategy with support from WIPO’s Bureau for Africa. We are confident this process will better integrate IP into our innovation and economic transformation agenda, and promote entrepreneurship, creativity and youth empowerment as pillars of our knowledge-based economy.

Mr Chair

In closing, Rwanda reaffirms its commitment to working closely with WIPO and all Member States to ensure that intellectual property continues to contribute to innovation, inclusive growth, and sustainable development, and looks forward to productive deliberations during these Assemblies.

I thank you, Mr Chair.