12. Regarding the organization of work, the Chairperson recalled that, at the last meeting, the Special Session had had a rich discussion on the third set of issues, the meaning of notification and registration procedures and the issue of "mechanics", including such matters as procedures for notification, opposition, registration and modification as well as issues of costs and the possible role of the Secretariat. The Council had also dealt with the definition of GIs and their eligibility for and the purpose of their inclusion in the system but was unable to address the issue of participation due to time constraints. He therefore suggested proceeding with the discussions in the reverse order: i.e., participation; the meaning of a "system of notification and registration" and the issue of "mechanics"; the purpose of the system; and issues related to the definition of GIs and their eligibility for inclusion in the system. He hoped that, in discussing the areas already touched upon, Members would not repeat their positions, but would instead strive to find areas where convergence could be reached, especially on the issue of "mechanics". He asked delegations to be more concrete and specific in their contributions with regard to the latter. He hoped that, in the process of discussing "mechanics", delegations might discover possibilities for bridging some of the areas where there was still a wide difference of views, such as with respect to purpose. In that regard, he believed that the Secretariat notes on the multilateral notification and registration systems (TN/IP/W/4 and TN/IP/W/4/Add.1) could provide some practical ideas for Members to construct their own system.
