WIPO General Assembly adopted the PCDA proposals
(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar)
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) member states adopted
during the General Assembly on 28 September 2007 the recommendations made in
June 2007 by the Provisional Committee on Proposals for a WIPO Development
Agenda (PCDA).
The recommendations include 45 proposals that cover six activity
clusters: Technical Assistance and Capacity Building; Norm-setting,
Flexibilities, Public Policy and Public Knowledge; Technology Transfer,
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Access to Knowledge;
Assessments, Evaluation and Impact Studies; Institutional Matters including
Mandate and Governance; and Other Issues.
The Plan of Action started in 2004 at WIPO General Assembly with a proposal
made by Argentina and Brazil and supported by twelve other members. A series
of meetings followed in order to discuss proposals and the establishment of
PCDA was agreed on at the 2005 session of the WIPO General Assembly, in
order to speed up the discussions on the proposals. The PCDA had two
meetings in 2006 to discuss the 111 submitted proposals and during the 2006
WIPO General Assembly session it received a new mandate for one year to
complete the verification of the proposals that were narrowed down to 45.
During the meeting of 28 September, WIPO members agreed on establishing a
Committee on Development and Intellectual Property made of member states
that would draft a program for the implementation of the recommendations and
would have the task to monitor and assess their implementation. The
Committee that will meet twice a year in a five-day session, would
coordinate its activity and reporting with other WIPO bodies and would
annually report and make recommendations to WIPO General Assembly. The first
meeting of the Committee is expected to take place during the first part of
2008.
A number of 19 proposals out of the 45 have been chosen by informal
consultations within the PCDA context to be immediately implemented. The
most important proposals are related to the establishment of norms, to
technology transfers and to the structure that needs to be created in order
to support and integrate the development of the organisation, as it was
explained by Alberto Dumont, the Argentinean Ambassador. He also considered
that the Plan of Action would have effects not only on WIPO activities but
also on the activities of other international organisations such as the
World Health Organisation in the work related to public health, intellectual
property and innovation.
Dr. Kamil Idris, the Director General of WIPO considered this decision as
a “milestone decision” that is “an important and positive step towards
ensuring that the international intellectual property system continues to
serve the public good by encouraging and rewarding innovation and creativity
in a balanced and effective manner.”
A significant impact upon the adoption of this Plan of Action was played by
national and international NGOs. Wend Wendland, head of WIPO’s programme on
traditional knowledge, confirmed that the NGOs have succeeded in
influencing the discussions and the priorities for WIPO, in helping
developing countries better understand Intellectual Property and in
increasing the focus on “new beneficiaries” of the IP system.
Member States Adopt a Development Agenda for WIPO (1.10.2007)
http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2007/article_0071.html
WIPO action plan for development is on the track (only in French 4.10.2007)
Le Plan d’action de l’OMPI pour le développement est sur les rails
NGOs Having Major Impact On WIPO Agenda, Panel Says (5.10.2007)
Report of the Provisional Committee on Proposals Related to a WIPO
Development Agenda (PCDA) (17.09.2007)
http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/doc_details.jsp?doc_id=85452
EDRI-gram: PCDA brings a major change in the WIPO mandate (20.06.2007)
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number5.12/pcda-change-wipo