Supporting Indigenous Women through Intellectual Property

By Bufete Mejia & Asociados

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is organizing its IP Training, Mentoring and Matchmaking Program for indigenous and local community women entrepreneurs from Mexico, Central America—including Honduras—and the Dominican Republic.

This initiative aims to empower women who are building businesses based on traditional knowledge or cultural expressions. Participants will first attend a training workshop in Mexico City from November 10 to 14, 2025, followed by a year-long period of mentoring and business matchmaking running through 2026. The program focuses on using IP tools—such as trademarks, copyrights, and geographical indications—to protect and scale traditional knowledge–based projects.

For Honduras, this program aligns with recent efforts to strengthen cooperation with WIPO and promote innovation through intellectual property. The country's diverse indigenous communities—such as the Lenca, Garífuna, Miskito, and Tolupan—hold valuable cultural and environmental knowledge that remains underprotected and underutilized.

A woman entrepreneur from Honduras producing traditional textiles, for example, could use this program to learn how to register a collective mark, develop a market strategy, and connect with potential partners or funders.