Minutes - TRIPS Council - View details of the intervention/statement

Ambassador Dacio Castillo (Honduras)
P OBSERVER STATUS FOR INTERNATIONAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
319. The Chairman said that the list of 15 pending requests for observer status in the Council by other intergovernmental organizations was contained in document IP/C/W/52/Rev.12. He recalled that, at its meeting in June 2011, the Council had requested the Secretariat to contact the international intergovernmental organizations whose requests for observer status were pending to request up-to-date information, including on the nature of their work and the reasons for their interest in being accorded observer status. 320. Since the Council's meeting in October, the Secretariat had received updated information from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), faxed to all Members on 3 November. Before the October meeting, such information had been received from the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the South Centre and the Conférence des Ministres de l'Agriculture de l'Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre (CMA/AOC), and the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC). This information was also available for Members on the Members' website. 321. At its October meeting, the Council had agreed that the Chair should continue his consultations on the issue of observer status, in particular in the light of this updated information received from a number of IGOs. In the absence of a regular Chair, it had not been possible to hold such consultations. He suggested that he continue consultations on the requests for observer status with a view to seeing if the Council could take any decisions at its next meeting.
IP/C/M/69