human: What is the World Intellectual Property Day theme for 2023?
assistant: The theme of World Intellectual Property 2023, is “Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity” In 2023, we celebrate the “can do” attitude of women inventors, creators and entrepreneurs around the world and their ground-breaking work. Women make up nearly half of the global population (49.58%) and represent a huge pool of talent, which remains largely untapped. Women in all regions are shaping the world through their imagination, ingenuity and hard work, but often face significant challenges in accessing the knowledge, skills, resources and support they need to thrive. Research commissioned by WIPO is helping to identify the multi-faceted barriers that may exclude women from using IP services. In addition to the lack of IP knowledge, women often lack access to networks, mentors, sponsor and role models; face difficulties in securing financial resources; confront negative bias and bear the burden of care responsibilities within their families. These barriers mean that too few women are benefitting from the IP system. According to WIPO data released in March 2023, it is estimated that only 16.2 percent of inventors named in international patent applications were women in 2022. While numbers are rising, progress is slow. WIPO estimates that, at current rates, parity among Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)-listed inventors will only be reached in 2064. At a time when building economic resilience for recovery is a top priority, connecting women with the IP system to accelerate innovation, creativity and business growth, is more important than ever. It makes economic sense and it is the right thing to do. For World Intellectual Property Day 2023, let’s pull together to promote the development of more inclusive and diverse IP ecosystems that accelerate innovation, creativity and business growth for the benefit of all.