Tuesday morning: tactics
The morning went much like informed people predicted. It is all about procedural issues, so that the room is filled with tactical maneuvering. Argentina, most likely for the Friends of Development, had yesterday refused the Chairman’s notion to move discussion to informal groups, where there would be no documentation. This would have the advantage that delegations could speak more freely; but it would disadvantage the developing countries.
Before the general fight about tactics started, a few more statements were invited, as they had been cut short yesterday evening. This way, I had the pleasure of reading a statement for the Union for the Public Domain, which I had written up yesterday afternoon as it became clear that NGO’s would have the chance to speak.
Over the course of the night, the Chairman drafted a structure for the debate. Unfortunately, this so much lumps different issues together under three vague headings, that especially the Friends of Development fear that the structure will only serve to draw out discussions and thus avoid actual results. As attending WIPO meetings implies high costs, which especially developing countries find hard to bear, this might lead to some of them retreating from the issue of the development agenda. Starving tactics.
In extremis, this would mean that there might be no Development Agenda for WIPO, but rather a bunch of flowery statements. That is why, after pointing to the structure suggested yesterday by the FOD, Brazil suggested to make a list of issues instead, which could then be discussed.
The tone has gotten rougher. The atmosphere is becoming more and more heated – and quite literally so, as the air conditioning does not seem to have kicked in as yet. Lots of delegates seem to be unable to turn off the sound on their computers and mobile phones. With lots of chatter especially in the back row, the room feels more and more like a classroom full of increasingly annoyed children.
Now, as the Brasilian structural proposal is being distributed, I’ll go outside, post this entry and then hang on for lunch break. It’s a hot day in more than one respect.