13.1. The Chairman said that there remained 13 pending requests for observer status in the TRIPS Council by other intergovernmental organizations. The updated list was contained in document IP/C/W/52/Rev.13. In the past few years, the Council had been able to make some progress by agreeing to grant ad hoc observer status on a meeting-by-meeting basis to ARIPO, OAPI, the GCC and EFTA.
13.2. At the Council's meeting in October 2015, a number of interested delegations had reiterated their support for granting permanent observer status to the South Centre, the CBD Secretariat and the International Vaccine Institute. Other delegations had said that they could agree to grant permanent observer status to ARIPO, OAPI, the GCC and EFTA. As no agreement on any of the pending requests could be reached, the matter had been left to direct contacts between interested Members.
13.3. The representatives of Nigeria, on behalf the African Group, Ecuador, India, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Egypt, Brazil, Bangladesh, the United States, China, Indonesia and Tanzania took the floor.
13.4. The Chairman suggested that the Council request the incoming Chair to consult on the pending requests for observer status.
13.5. The Council took note of the statements made and so agreed.
