[Ecommerce] Unofficial text of Agenda Item 12 at WIPO GA, adopted October 4, 2004

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

The WIPO General Assembly adopted the following draft decision on Agenda
Item 12 (Development Agenda) on October 4, 2004.  In the discussion of
Agenda Item 12 today, Egypt noted that it had received instructions from
Cairo to co-sponsor the proposal put forth by Argentina and Brazil.

The following text is typed up and unofficial.  It is my understanding
that an official, electronic version of the text adopted today will be
made available by the International Bureau shortly.


The report of the General Assembly will be presented by the IB tomorrow
at 16:00.

Thiru Balasubramaniam
Geneva Representative
CPTech

-----------------------------

Following discussions, the General Assembly adopts the following decision:



Recalling that the relationship between development and intellectual
property has continuously been raised in several multilateral fora;

Taking into account the activities carried out by WIPO in the area of
development;

Bearing in mind the internationally agreed development goals, including
those in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, the Programme of
Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001-2010, the
Monterey Consensus, the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable
Development, the Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action of the
first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society and the Sao
Paulo Consensus adopted at UNCTAD XI;

(1)    The General Assembly welcomes the initiative for a development
agenda and notes the proposals contained in document WO/GA/31/11.

(2)    The General Assembly decides to convene inter-sessional
intergovernmental meetings to examine the proposals contained in
document WO/GA/31/11, as well as additional proposals of Members
States.  To the extent possible, the meetings will be convened in
conjunction with the 2005 session of the Permanent Committee on
Cooperation for Development Related to Intellectual Property.  The
meetings, open to all Member States, will prepare a report by July 30,
2005, for the consideration of the next General Assembly.
WIPO-accredited IGOs and NGOs are invited to participate as observers in
the meetings.

(3)    The International Bureau shall undertake immediate arrangements
in order to organize with other relevant multilateral organizations
including UNCTAD, WHO, UNIDO and WTO, a joint international seminar on
Intellectual Property and Development, open to the participation of all
stakeholders, including NGOs, civil society and academia.

(4)    The General Assembly decides to include this issue in its
September 2005 session.