Next steps for WIPO Development Agenda
After long deliberations behind closed doors, the delegates finally came up with a solution: There will be two more meetings like the one just finished, lasting three days each. The first one will take place on June 20 to 22; the second one in July, with the exact dates to be determined asap by the Secretariat. The Paraguayan representative, Chairman of this meeting, will probably chair the meeting in June as well.
The African group demands that of each meeting, draft reports be prepared and made available within 10 days. Nigeria, Egypt, Botswana join in on the request.
Pakistan: calls for a “clustering” of the ideas of the proposals for the next meetings, to make discussion more efficient.
Brazil calls this meeting “an important first round of statements”, where the viewpoints of countries have become clear. In future meetings, the discussion should be organised around focal topics, as Pakistan suggested.
Jamie Love of CPTech asks for a clarification of the accreditation status in the next two meetings for those NGOs that were accredited ad hoc. The promise of being accredited again is especially important for underfunded NGOs that can’t afford to buy plane tickets and pay for visa if they’re not sure they can participate. In this last-minute thriller, Italy proposes an according amendment to the final text of the draft report summary. Egypt joins in, and many delegations raise their flags. The proposal is approved, which means that the ad-hoc NGOs are in.
The process of a change at WIPO has started and is rolling. Now the question is which direction it will take, and at which speed.
A personal note: I will be leaving Geneva tomorrow, to resume the regular office work in Hamburg. I hope to live through such an interesting and challenging time again soon. Thanks for reading my blog.
Please note that the views I express here are purely my own. This site is my private refuge; here, I am not speaking on behalf of the Free Software Foundation Europe. If you want to learn about their position on anything, please go to www.fsfeurope.org.