WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (WIPO) was held at the headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) from November 27 to December 1. The Republic of Moldova was represented in the Committee by Svetlana Munteanu, Counselor of the AGEPI Director General.

More than 100 delegations from WIPO Member States, as well as representatives of international and national, governmental and non-governmental organizations, attended the meeting. In line with the Work Agenda, Member States addressed several priority topics for developing and strengthening the global system for protecting and use of intellectual property.

Thus, the discussions focused on examining the Progress Report on the state of implementation of the 45 recommendations of the WIPO Development Agenda, including the contribution of other WIPO committees to the implementation of these recommendations, evaluation of the degree of implementation of technical assistance projects, and identification of Committee’s forward-looking activities.

Member States have examined several documents prepared by the WIPO International Bureau on: Roadmap on Promoting the Usage of the Web Forum Established under the “Project on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer:  Common Challenges-Building Solutions” as a platform for developers and users of new technology solutions; Promotion of WIPO Activities and Resources Related to Technology Transfer, as well as Mapping of International Fora and Conferences with Initiatives and Activities on Technology Transfer.

Also, at the current session, the technical assistance projects in the field of cooperation for development, implemented by WIPO in common with the Member States, were reviewed. The Report on the WIPO Roundtable Table on Technical Assistance and Capacity Building, held in Geneva on 12 May 2017, was discussed, namely with regard to exchanges of experience, applied tools and methodologies. The purpose of this round table was to share experiences, good practices and technical assistance tools.

Member States took note of the Report on the WIPO Roster of Consultants Database prepared by the International Bureau.

Particular attention was paid to the Work Program for implementation of adopted development recommendations, namely:

• It was presented the Follow-up on the Pilot Project on Intellectual Property (IP) and Design Management for Business Development in Developing and Least Developed Countries (LDCs);
• It was examined the Revised Proposal of the African Group Concerning the Biennial Organization of an International Conference on Intellectual Property and Development;
• Discussion was repeated on point 5 of the Joint proposal by the delegations of the United States, Australia and Canada on Activities Related to Technology Transfer;
• Discussions were brought up on the way to address SDGs in future CDIP session, including the request for establishing a permanent agenda item;
• It was heard the Report on the Independent Review of the Implementation of the WIPO Development Agenda Recommendations, presented by Turkey on behalf of Group B of WIPO developed countries.

The Member States also took note of two new studies under the Program on the Use of Intellectual Property in Colombia and Central America and the Dominican Republic.

One of the subjects included in the agenda of the current session of the Committee referred to the state of implementation of the projects initiated within the Committee, in order to implement the Development Agenda recommendations, namely:

• Intellectual Property, Tourism and Culture: Supporting Development Objectives and Promoting Cultural Heritage in Egypt and Other Developing Countries;
• Intellectual property and Socioeconomic Development: Phase II;
• Creating the Potential for Using the Technical-Scientific Information for a Particular Technology as a Solution to an Identified Development Problem - Phase II;
• Cooperation with Institutions involved in the Staff Training in the Judiciary in the Countries with the Lowest Degree of Development to Staff Training in Intellectual Property, etc.

Participants in the 20th session of the Committee took note of the report by the independent analytical group which, at the request of the International Bureau of WIPO and in accordance with the mandate given by the WIPO General Assembly in 2010, carried out a study on the degree of implementation of the WIPO Development Agenda Recommendations, based on field meetings with representatives of national intellectual property offices, international governmental and non-governmental organizations, applicants and right holders, etc.

The current meeting of the Committee was finalized with the approval of the priority topics for the Committee’s future work.

Documents discussed within the Committee can be accessed at: http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/details.jsp?meeting_id=42305.