Name: Sisule F. Musungu
Email:
Web Site: http://www.iqsensato.org/
Bio: Sisule is the President of IQsensato and a leading researcher and policy analyst on the development dimensions of intellectual property (IP), innovation, trade and innovation. He is also an expert on human rights law and has research interests on climate change and energy. Full bio available here.
Posts by Sisule F. Musungu:
WTO Invites Inputs for the World Trade Report
January 30th, 2010Sisule F. Musungu - On 28th January 2010 the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced the launch of a web discussion forum to stimulate debate and discussion on the topic of the next World Trade Report “Trade in Natural Resources: Challenges in Global Governance”. In the announcement, the WTO Secretariat promises to take into consideration all the inputs received through the forum.
Is our Health in the Right Hands?
January 18th, 2010Sisule F. Musungu - The 126th session of the Executive Board (EB) of the World Health Organization (WHO) meets in Geneva from Today (Monday, 18th January 2010) to Friday with a packed agenda. This meeting comes in the wake of increasing questions regarding the management and governance of the world health body which for far too long has escaped serious public scrutiny by hiding behind the perception that it is a technical body whose work ordinary mortals can not understand.
The U.S.A Stands up to be Counted on Improving Access for Visually Impaired Persons
December 15th, 2009Sisule F. Musungu - A key item at the on-going ninetenth Session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) is a discussion on a proposed treaty for improving access for the blind, visually impaired and other reading disabled persons (hereinafter “TVI”). Naturally, the proposal by the World Blind Union, formally presented to SCCR by Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay, has generated not only intense interest but also significant opposition from predictable quaters such as the US Chamber of Commerce. As a corollary, it has been believed that the United States government will oppose such a proposal. The statement of the United States at the SCCR on TVI, however, is a worth a read, because, as a student of international intellectual property (IP) policy-making I can argue that it will mark an important historical moment in the politics of intellectual property. It was not only an enlightened statement but a statement that demonstrated a level of leadership that needs to acknowledged.
The UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen
December 7th, 2009Sisule F. Musungu - The United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference is taking place in Copenhagen from Monday, 7th December 2009 to 18th December 2009. More than 15,000 delegates are expected to be in the city in the name of saving the planet. The amount of information and hype is dizzying! But what does all these mean, how much do we understand about what needs to be done at policy level? While the science is there, the challenge remains developing the right policies to address the challenge. During the period of the conference we will be blogging on the Ideas in Development on various issues under discussion and the policy implications. Within the IQsensato network there will also be various individuals on Twitter.
The Shame of the Swiss Minarets Ban!
November 30th, 2009Sisule F. Musungu - On Sunday, 29th November 2009 the Swiss voted to ban minarets next to mosques! It is difficult to find any words to describe this. Happening the day before the start of the 7th WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, which hosts the WTO and tens of international organisations and UN organs, including the UN Human Rights Council, the implications are significant. As a student of human rights, I find no other categorisation that the ban consists of not only extreme religious intolerance but also, and quite importantly, an extreme level of racial intolerance.
