WIPO Member States Make Headway in Discussions For a WIPO Development Agenda
Geneva, February 27, 2006
Press Updates UPD/2006/267
Discussions on establishing a development agenda for the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have moved forward, with member states agreeing to structure their future work under six main themes. The Provisional Committee on Proposals related to a WIPO Development Agenda which was established by the WIPO General Assembly in autumn 2005 to accelerate and complete discussions on this matter, met from February 20 to 24, 2006, and was chaired by H.E. Ambassador Rigoberto Gauto Vielman of Paraguay. The Committee was attended by ninety eight member states and forty eight observers.
Member states/groups submitted a total of 111 proposals, in actionable and operational' form, which were clustered under the following 6 themes:
- Technical assistance and capacity building
- Norm-setting, flexibilities, public policy and public domain
- Technology transfer, information and communication technology and access to knowledge
- Assessments, evaluation and impact studies
- Institutional matters including mandate and governance
- Other issues
This structure will constitute the basis for continued discussion at the second meeting of the Provisional Committee in June. The Chairman announced that he would conduct informal consultations with all interested parties ahead of the June meeting, after which member states are expected to make recommendations for submission to the WIPO General Assembly in autumn 2006.
A proposal for a development agenda for WIPO was first launched by Argentina and Brazil, and supported by an additional 12 developing countries, at the 2004 WIPO General Assembly. At that time, member states agreed to hold a series of inter-sessional intergovernmental meetings (IIMs) to examine this proposal as well as additional proposals of other member states. Accordingly, three sessions of the IIM on a Development Agenda for WIPO were organized in 2005, followed by the meeting of the Provisional Committee last week. To date a total number of 12 submissions have been presented by member states and groups of member states.
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