Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia Propose "Development Agenda" for WIPO

According to an article in the the September 10, 2004 issue of Trade and Biological Resources News Digest from the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia informally circulated a proposal to establish a "development agenda" at the World Intellectual Property Organization(WIPO).

The proposal, to be officially presented at the upcoming 31st session of the WIPO General Assembly, scheduled for 27 September to 5 October, is expected to be controversial. The proposal criticises the general nature of WIPO, arguing that it is time for the institution to integrate the UN-wide development agenda in its mandate, including the commitments set out in the Millennium Development Goals. It also touches on the basic principles and structure of WIPO, and questions the role WIPO has played in promoting development. Some developing country trade observers have reportedly characterised the proposal as a "groundbreaking" step in the rethinking of the role of developing countries in WIPO.