H.E. Ambassador Dr Pimchanok PITFIELD

United States of America

15 OBSERVER STATUS FOR INTERNATIONAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

467.  The United States cannot join the Members seeking to include the South Centre or the Convention on Biological Diversity (the CBD) as observers either on a permanent or ad hoc basis. The United States values the contributions by Members, and we are satisfied with the current set of ad hoc and permanent observers. We do not see a gap that needs filling by adding new observers at this time.

The Council so agreed.

75. The Chair said that there continued to be 14 pending requests for observer status in the TRIPS Council by intergovernmental organizations. The updated list of requests, and the information provided by these organizations on their respective work and the reasons for their interest in observer status was available on the Members' website.
76. The representatives of Indonesia; Colombia; the United States of America; and China took the floor.
77. The Council took note of the statements made and agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting.
78. The Chair recalled that, at its meeting in November 2012, the Council had agreed to grant ad hoc observer status on a meeting-to-meeting basis to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Since then, this invitation had been renewed at each meeting. The Chair suggested to invite again the EFTA to attend the Council's next formal meeting on an ad hoc basis.
79. The Council so agreed.

IP/C/M/108, IP/C/M/108/Add.1