Information on the WIPO development agenda

WIPO Development Agenda: hyperlinked contribution

Brazil and Argentina submitted at the 2004 WIPO General Assembly a proposal for a development agenda for WIPO that aimed to ensure that development considerations form an integral part of WIPO’s work that should be coherent with the international obligations of States under human rights treaties. The proposal of the WIPO Development Agenda addressed the following issues:

- The development dimension and intellectual property protection,

- Integrating the development dimension into WIPO’s activities,

- The development dimension and intellectual property norm-setting: safeguarding public interest flexibilities,

- The development dimension and the transfer of technology,

- The development dimension and intellectual property enforcement,

- Promoting “development oriented” technical cooperation and assistance,

- A member-driven Organization open to addressing the concerns of all stakeholders, in particular civil society. The text of Brazil’s and Argentina’s proposal for the development agenda is available at http://www.wipo.int/documents/en/document/govbody/wo_gb_ga/pdf/wo_ga_31_11.pdf

Additional proposals in support of a WIPO Development Agenda were submitted by other member states, such as Chile, the Group of Friends of Development, the Africa Group and Colombia.

In the 2004 WIPO General Assembly states agreed to hold a series of intergovernmental meetings to examine proposals originally submitted by Brazil and Argentina as well as additional proposals of other member states. Substantive reform proposals to establish a Development Agenda for WIPO passed during the 2007 General Assembly. The agenda was based on 45 recommendations on issues related to technical assistance, access to knowledge, evaluation and impact studies, governance, etc.

The 45 development recommendations on the development agenda are available at: http://www.wipo.int/ip-development/en/agenda/recommendations.html

Member Nations have also authorized a new WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP). The CDIP is mandated to monitor, assess, discuss and report on the implementation of all recommendations adopted, by coordinating with relevant WIPO bodies and to discuss IP and development-related issues as agreed by the Committee and decided by the General Assembly. The Committee is made up of member states, and is open to all accredited intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.