Assemblies of Member States of WIPO: Fifty-First Series of Meetings

September 23 to October 2, 2013

The Fifty-First Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO (the 2013 WIPO Assemblies) will take place from September 23 to October 2, 2013, at the International Conference Center Geneva (CICG), 17 rue de Varembé, 1211 Geneva (+41 22 791 9111) - Map . The sessions will be webcasted.

Registration of Delegates and Credentials

Delegates from capitals as well as those based in Geneva are kindly requested to register online by September 6, 2013.  The submission of credentials is required for completion of the online registration form. The credential document can be easily uploaded online.  Any questions or comments on the online registration procedure may be addressed to meetings@wipo.int.

Please note that access to and presence at the CICG and WIPO premises will be restricted to persons wearing the 2013 WIPO Assemblies badges.

A provisional list of participants will be distributed on the first day of the Assemblies, updated on the basis of the online registrations received by 5 p.m. on Friday, September 6, 2013.

Conduct of Sessions and Method of Work

Requests to Take the Floor: Delegations wishing to take the floor on any agenda item are strongly encouraged to send their requests in advance (in particular for Agenda Item 5 – General Statements), preferably up to the day preceding the discussions on the item. They may send their requests to assemblies@wipo.int or complete a Speaking Request Form available from the WIPO Conference staff during the Assemblies. Delegates may also request the floor by raising their flag during the discussions.

Interpretation: Simultaneous interpretation will be available to and from English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish, as well as Portuguese (passive). In order to facilitate the highest quality of the interpretation for the benefit of the speaker and of all delegations, interpreters should receive prepared statements (even if in draft form) ahead of their oral delivery. This is particularly important for longer statements, such as General Statements under Agenda Item 5. Prepared statements can be sent as early as possible, at the latest on the morning of their delivery, to assemblies@wipo.int or given by hand to the WIPO Conference staff. The statements will only be made available to interpreters before delivery in order to assist them in faithfully transmitting the message of delegates.

General Statements (Agenda Item 5): General Statements should be summarized and orally delivered in a maximum of five minutes by group coordinators on behalf of their members (approximately 500 to 700 words) and in a maximum of three minutes by individual country delegates (approximately 300 to 450 words). The usual “traffic light system” will assist delegates to adhere to the time limitation. If necessary, oral statements may be expanded to some extent in statements submitted in writing to the Secretariat (assemblies@wipo.int). Delegations may also opt for submitting their entire General Statement in writing and not taking the floor.

Each General Statement submitted in writing to the Secretariat will be reproduced in its entirety in the report circulated on the last day of the Assemblies, including those of delegations that may not have taken the floor in the interest of time.

Documentation

As a positive contribution to a carbon-free environment and as a cost-saving measure, Assemblies documents are being published on the WIPO web site only. They are posted in all official languages, as they become available. Delegates are strongly encouraged to come to the meetings with pre-printed copies of documents and/or to use portable computers/devices.