For those unfamiliar with the workings of the SCP and SCT, these are committees for WIPO members, that before Covid usually met twice yearly in Geneva to discuss policy and legal issues relating to progressive, international development in the subject areas. FICPI has been an active participant as an Observer for many years. Observers are permitted to comment on agenda items.
Both Toni and Ivan gave the Secretariat its well-deserved recognition for meeting preparedness, and management of the agenda items during the sessions.
In terms of responding to the request for suggestions for areas of improvement FICPI proposed the following:
- In areas where some convergence seems to exist, perhaps the Secretariat could advertise them more openly to try to consolidate the apparent consensus in advance of the in-person meetings. At the actual meetings, the Chair has been successful sometimes in asking to meet with certain delegations alone, trying to move a matter along. Advance promotion by the Secretariat might make the Chair’s job easier at the actual meeting.
- That perhaps FICPI could assist the Secretariat by acting as a mediator to convey WIPO proposals to our local authorities. We mentioned this because it is our understanding that the Secretariat cannot raise issues of its own accord. Only a Delegate can do so.
- We discussed if there was a feasible online mechanism that WIPO could set up to permit the Chair to have “closed door” meetings with an individual Delegate or a group of Delegates to advance agenda issues before the next in-person meeting.
Images:
Banner image:
Geneva, WIPO and Swiss Flags at Pont du Mont-Blanc
WIPO flags, along with Geneva and Swiss flags, on display at Geneva’s Pont du Mont-Blanc during the 2017 Assemblies of WIPO Member States.
Copyright and photo: Emmanuel Berrod. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 IGO License.
Article image:
WIPO Flag at Geneva’s Pont du Mont-Blanc
A WIPO flag on display at Geneva’s Pont du Mont-Blanc during the 2017 Assemblies of WIPO Member States.
Copyright and photo: Emmanuel Berrod. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 IGO License.