From Origin to Market: Strengthening Geographical Indications for Rural Development and Sustainability
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 8–10 December 2025 - The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), through the SCOPE IPR project, in cooperation with the ASEAN Member States’ IP Offices, organised a three-day regional workshop on “From Origin to Market: Best Practices in the Protection, Commercialisation, and Marketing of Geographical Indications (GIs).”
The workshop brought together officials responsible for GIs and trade policy, as well as representatives of GI producer associations from across the ASEAN region, to exchange experiences and best practices in the development, protection, and commercialisation of GIs. The event aimed to strengthen the capacity of ASEAN Member States in enhancing sui generis GI systems, improving quality control mechanisms, and promoting branding and marketing strategies that allow GI products to compete successfully in both local and export markets.
Sessions led by EUIPO experts, Cambodian specialists, and ASEAN-based branding and marketing professionals covered topics such as the role of GIs in rural development and sustainability, control mechanisms to ensure product authenticity and quality, and the use of technology for traceability and enforcement.
The workshop also served as an opportunity to raise awareness about the EU’s sui generis GI system and the newly adopted Craft and Industrial Geographical Indication (CIGI) Regulation (EU) 2023/2411, which will take full effect in December 2025. Under this new framework, the EUIPO will act as an international registration authority, building on years of cooperation with the European Commission (DG AGRI) and becoming fully responsible for the registration of craft and industrial GIs. As an international registration authority, the EUIPO builds on this experience and reinforces its role in ensuring the protection and promotion of authentic products worldwide.
By sharing insights from the EU experience and fostering dialogue among ASEAN stakeholders, the EUIPO reaffirms its commitment to supporting ASEAN in strengthening its GI systems, empowering local producers, and advancing sustainable rural development through the protection and promotion of authentic, high-quality products.
This activity contributes to Strategic Goal 4 of the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2016–2025, which seeks to increase awareness and capacity among the productive sector for the creation, protection, and commercialisation of intellectual property rights.