Mechanism To Assess Trade Agreements Needed, UN Forum On Access To Medicines Hears 10/10/2017 by Peter Kenny for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A mechanism to systematically assess trade agreements from a public health perspective, including accession agreements of the World Trade Organization and European Patent Office’s validation agreements is needed, says Ellen ´t Hoen, senior researcher at the Global Health Unit of the University Medical Centre, Groningen, The Netherlands. who publishes the Medicines Law and Policy website.
WIPO’s Program And Budget Stand-Off Highlights That Member States Must Act On WIPO’s Governance System 09/10/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As the WIPO Annual Assemblies draw to a close this week, governments face a dramatic stand-off over the organisation’s biennial Program and Budget. Unless a series of its demands regarding the organisation’s financing and treaty-making processes are met, the United States is refusing to approve the WIPO budget – a decision Member States normally take by consensus. While sparring among governments over the budget and content of a UN organisation’s programs is not unusual, the debate at WIPO this year highlight challenges at the heart of its governance system, writes Carolyn Deere.
WIPO Upgrades Its Whistleblower Policy 09/10/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization has upgraded its whistleblower policy, coming more into line with best practices for protecting employees from retaliation for reporting alleged misconduct in the organisation. Time will tell if the changes to the policy will prove effective.
Asia Pacific Countries Challenge Composition Of Key WIPO Committees 06/10/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization Program and Budget Committee is arguably the most powerful committee of the United Nations agency, and is open to a limited number of countries. This year, the countries sitting on the committee have to be renewed, and the Asia and Pacific Group is challenging the way countries are chosen, and their numbers because of under-representation of some regions.
US Firm On WIPO Budget Demands: Lisbon Must Find Funds, WIPO Financial System Must Change 05/10/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Intellectual Property Organization members this week are trying to find a compromise in order to adopt the budget for the years 2018/2019. The United States has posed conditions on approval, particularly that they would like to keep discussing a potential change in WIPO’s budget allocation to prevent the treaty they pay most into from having to fund other less financially viable treaties. They also asked that the WIPO treaty protecting geographical indications eliminate its deficit, and that no high-level negotiating meeting be provisioned for without the whole WIPO membership agreeing to it.
Quality Of Medicines A Key Focus Of Antimicrobial Resistance Fight 05/10/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW YORK — Assuring the quality of medicines all the way to the consumer is a key component of the global antimicrobial resistance action plan now beginning to be implemented around the world, a panel of experts said during the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Human Rights Go Hand In Hand With IP In Making Health Systems Work, UN Forum Hears 03/10/2017 by Peter Kenny for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Innovation is vital for the development of medicines, but innovation without proper access to them is pointless, Roberto Azevêdo, Director-General of World Trade Organization has said. Several other agency heads spoke at the same event, where World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the importance of universal health coverage.
WIPO General Assembly Opens; Delegates In Starting Block To Discuss Budget, Normative Work 02/10/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The annual World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly opened today for 10 days during which delegates have to agree on budget, and on several decisions which might lead to more normative activities on the part of the organisation, although impatience is not equally shared depending on subjects. Separately, the United States submitted a new proposal on the budget, and the European Union tabled a proposal on a new mandate for the WIPO genetic resources and traditional knowledge committee.
2017 Social Forum Focuses On HIV, Other Epidemics, Access To Health 29/09/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The 2017 Social Forum, an annual meeting convened by the Human Rights Council, is being held next week in Geneva, and will focus on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of the HIV epidemic and other communicable diseases and epidemics.
UN Technology Bank To Build IP Infrastructure In LDCs; Private Sector Funds Needed 27/09/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NEW YORK — A new United Nations Technology Bank for least-developed countries aimed at growing technology transfer and intellectual property infrastructure across the 48 poorest nations became operational at last week’s annual UN General Assembly in New York. The bank’s creation represents the first target of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved.