Development Agenda

WIPO Development Agenda

Led by the "Group of Friends of Development" developing nations have called for reform at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and adopted a "Development Agenda" in an effort to replace WIPO’s mission of automatically maximizing intellectual property rights without examination of the impact of policies.  

Global civil society actors issued the "Geneva Declaration on the Future of WIPO" in 2004.   Support for a development dimension to WIPO’s activities continues to grow.  

In essence, the proposal for a Development Agenda at WIPO focuses on the fact that a “knowledge gap” as well as a “digital divide” separated wealthy nations from the poorer ones.  Recognizing that intellectual property is intended to promote technological innovation, wealth transfer and dissemination of knowledge, the proposal asserted that greater protection for intellectual property rights alone, without any focus on improving developmental structures within these countries would be detrimental in the long run. The proposal recognizes the need to “integrate development dimensions into policy making for intellectual property protection.”

• Background information on the WIPO Development Agenda from IP Justice

• IP Justice recommendations for a Development Agenda at WIPO (Sept. 2007)

 IP Justice has regularly participated at WIPO Development Agenda discussions and delivered a Group NGO Statement, in which 138 public-interest groups indicated support for the Friends of Development Proposal and reform at WIPO.

2007 WIPO General Assembly Accepts 45 Proposals

The WIPO General Assembly originally adopted the resolution for a "Development Agenda" at its Fall 2004 meeting and the 2007 General Assembly finally passed 45 substantive recommendations for implementation.  

• Nineteen proposals are expected to be implemented first.
• Forty-five proposals in all were recommended by the 2007 WIPO General Assembly for implementation.

WIPO Committee on Intellectual Property and Development (CIPD)

After the WIPO 2007 General Assembly resolution, discussion on the Development Agenda has moved to the newly created Committee on IP and Development (CIPD), which held its first meeting from 3-6 March 2008 at WIPO headquarters in Geneva (agenda).  The CIPD will meet again from 7-11 July 2008 before reporting back to the 2008 WIPO General Assembly in the fall.

More documents below and in IPJ DA archive.  See also IPJ Development Agenda background info and 2007 Global Information Society Report on WIPO by Robin Gross.