Establishment of WIPO

Date: April 26, 1970 • Location: Rome, Italy

The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO was created to promote and protect intellectual property (IP) across the world by cooperating with countries as well as international organizations. It began operations on 26 April 1970 when the convention entered into force. The current director general is Singaporean Daren Tang, former head of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, who began his first term on 1 October 2020.