WIPO Budget First Reading: SDGs, External Offices, Possible Treaty Negotiation

The World Intellectual Property Organization members this week have discussed the first draft of the budget of the organisation for the biennium 2018/2019. Questions have been asked about how WIPO is contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, how much WIPO committees and external offices will cost, and how WIPO can help developing countries increase their IP development.

The 26th session of the WIPO Program and Budget Committee (PBC) is taking place from 10-14 July.

The Draft Proposed Program and Budget for the 2018/19 Biennium [pdf] includes the financial and results overview of the organisation, and provides for each programme, a list of performance indicators, expected results, baselines, and targets. PBC delegates proceeded to the first reading of the proposed program and budget on 10 and 11 July, with a number of remarks and questions.

Some of those questions were answered [pdf] by the WIPO secretariat on 11 July.

WIPO and the SDGs

Some countries asked how WIPO programs contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030. The secretariat answered that “the Strategic Goals and the SDGs are intrinsically linked,” as detailed in the draft proposed program and budget.

A document included in the draft program and budget titled, “results framework and programme and budget 2018/2019 including development share by result,” shows under each strategic goals which SDGs the strategic goal contributes to. For example, strategic goal I (Balanced evolution of the international normative framework for intellectual property), contributes to SDG 9 (Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation), SDG 4 (Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning), and SDG 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages).

In different WIPO committees, some countries, such as Indonesia and Brazil, have underlined the indivisible nature of the 17 SDGs and argued that WIPO should contribute to all of them.

And some countries, referring to Gurry’s opening remarks this week, said that the SDGs and the WIPO Development Agenda were taken as guiding principles to WIPO programmes development, said they did not see this assertion reflected in the draft proposed program and budget.

The WIPO secretariat remarked that under programme 8 (Development Agenda Coordination), reference to SDGs is made (third bullet point of the implementation strategies). The secretariat also underlined the fact that a SDG coordinator had been appointed in the director general’s office to coordinate the WIPO activities in support of the SDGs (IPW, WIPO, 19 May 2017).

Cost of Committees, External Offices

Group B developed countries asked a set of questions on the costs of meetings at the opening of the session on 10 July ((IPW, WIPO, 10 July 2017).

The WIPO secretariat, in its answer, provided the total budget for standing committees. For example, a session of the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) is estimated at CHF 207,667, a session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) is budgeted at CHF285,000.

The cost for a one hour extension of a session beyond normal hours is CHF11,000 for interpretation, according to the document, which adds that the cost is the same for 1 hour up to 3 hours.

On a question about the cost of staffing of external offices, the secretariat provided a table of financial resources for external offices by units. For example, the Singapore office has 4 regular positions, the Brazil office 3, the China office 2, and the Russia office 1.

Also answering on the cost of external offices, the secretariat provided a breakdown of the premises and maintenance costs for each external offices in the proposed program and budget for 2018/2019.

The premises and maintenance costs for the WIPO coordination office in New York is CHF510,000, for the Brazil office is CHF 275,000, for the new Algeria office CHF 60,000, and none for Russia whose costs are covered by the government.

Brazil warned against a temptation to micro-manage external offices’ activities.

Nine Strategic Goals for 28 Programmes

The programmes in the proposed program and budget for 2018/2019 are grouped under the nine WIPO strategic goals:

– Strategic Goal I: Balanced evolution of the international normative framework for IP, which includes patent law; trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications; copyright and related rights; traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions, and genetic resources,

– Strategic Goal II: Provision of premier global IP services, including the patent, trademark, industrial designs systems, and WIPO arbitration and mediation center,

– Strategic Goal III: Facilitating the use of IP for Development, including the WIPO development agenda coordination; developing countries; transition and developed countries; the WIPO Academy; small and medium-size enterprises and entrepreneurship support,

– Strategic Goal IV: Coordination and development of global IP infrastructure, which includes international classifications and standards; global databases, and services for access to information and knowledge,

– Strategic Goal V: World reference source for IP information and analysis,

– Strategic Goal VI: International cooperation on building respect for IP,

– Strategic Goal VII: Addressing IP in relation to global policy issues, including IP and global challenges,

– Strategic Goal VII: A responsive communications interface between WIPO, its members and all stakeholders,

– Strategic Goal IX: Efficient administrative and financial support

Planned sessions, Budget for Diplomatic Conference

The draft proposed program and budget 2018/2019 makes planning assumptions for up to three sessions of the SCP, up to three sessions for the Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs, and Geographical indications (SCT), and up to four sessions of the SCCR.

The draft document also plans up to four meetings of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC). The upcoming annual WIPO General Assembly in October is expected to decide on the renewal of the mandate of the IGC.

Also budgeted is a provision of CHF 1 million for the possibility of a diplomatic conference (high-level treaty negotiation), without describing which subject that might be on.

Some WIPO committees are discussing potential diplomatic conferences, such as the SCCR on a broadcasting treaty, the SCT on an industrial design treaty, and the IGC on a potential instrument or instruments.

China asked that the PCT working group provide translation in all six UN languages, instead of the three languages currently used for the working group. The delegate underlined the importance of the PCT, which supplies 75 percent of WIPO resources, and requested an increase in the budget to accommodate translations in six languages in the PCT working group. The secretariat underlines that such a decision to increase the translation to six languages is to be taken and confirmed by the working group itself.

Brazil, supported by Chile, asked that committee meetings not be planned at the same time as the World Trade Organization Council for the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), something which happened twice in 2017. The secretariat underlined the difficulty of establishing an agenda for the year given the number of WIPO meetings during any given year, WIPO holidays, the fact that “nobody wants to work” from mid-December to mid-January, or in August, and the request by countries that WIPO meetings should not be planned back to back. The TRIPS Council meetings are typically 1-2 days, three times per year set well in advance.

Developing Countries: Need Help on IP Development

On Programme 9 (Africa, Arab, Asia and the Pacific, Latin American and the Caribbean Countries, Least-Developed Countries), Brazil said an emphasis should be given to universities from developing countries regarding the use of IP. Universities in developed countries are well aware of IP but developing country universities need support, the delegate said.

Brazil also remarked that the mainstreaming of the Development Agenda recommendations in the work of WIPO is a work in progress, and expected results in this area should be detailed.

Some countries commented on programme 15 (Business solutions for IP offices) and in particular about the WIPO “IPAS” suite of applications (IPAS, WIPO File, WIPO Publish, and WIPOScan), and called for the necessary budget for this service.

The Group of Latin American and Caribbean countries called for increased WIPO assistance to implement the applications. Chile remarked on the importance of the WIPO assistance support system to developing countries and least-developed countries so that they can participate effectively in the global IP system. From its own experience, Chile explained that the use of IPAS systems has increased the efficiency of the IP national institute, but some needs are still not met, such as greater assistance to generate templates for documents, and training of staff.

The secretariat answered that programme 15 was trying to find experts in the regions to help IP offices in neighbouring countries, to save costs, but took note of the request for more resources.

Chile, Brazil, and Singapore suggested that WIPO supply a directory of WIPO staff with contact details. Singapore remarked that this was not the first time the request was put forward by member states.

 

Image Credits: WIPO