proposaltoestablishadevelopmentagenda.docVIP

PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH A DEVELOPMENT AGENDA FOR THE WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION (WIPO): An Elaboration of Issues Raised in Document WO/GA/31/11 Submission by the Group of Friends of Development I. INTRODUCTION: PROMOTING DEVELOPMENT AND ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE FOR ALL During the 31st Session of the WIPO General Assembly (September 27 to October 5, 2004), the delegations of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran, Kenya, Peru, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Venezuela co-sponsored a proposal to establish a “Development Agenda” for the World Intellectual Property Organization (tabled as Document WO/GA/31/11). The present submission by the Group of Friends of Development seeks further to elaborate four different sections of document WO/GA/31/11, with a view to incorporating the development dimension into WIPO′s work. The four issues dealt with in this new submission are, namely: WIPO’s mandate and governance; norm-setting; technical cooperation; and transfer of technology. This document is intended only as a further contribution to the debate on the establishment of a “development agenda” for WIPO. It is not meant to be exhaustive of all possible initiatives that may be undertaken and issues that may be addressed under that aegis. The Friends of Development reserve the right to make additional contributions to the debate as discussions continue. Future documents may further elaborate the proposals contained in the present submission, or address new issues. 2. The basic concern of the Group of Friends of Development is to ensure that WIPO activities and intellectual property discussions are driven towards development-oriented results. As pointed out by document WO/GA/31/11, several international organizations have recognized that much more needs to be done to reach effective results that meet the challenges of development. Leading this process, the United Nations adopted the Millennium Development Goals, whic