43. The representative of Brazil said that, until recently, the interplay between the TRIPS Agreement and the CBD had been the subject of intense debate and detailed technical discussions undertaken in the WTO, both in the TRIPS Council and within the framework of the Director-General's consultations. Such intensive discussions were in stark contrast to the present state of play in which momentum had been lost.
44. Moreover, there had been little progress since the Director-General had issued his so-called Easter report in April 2011. The report, circulated in document WT/GC/W/633, covered the three TRIPS-related issues, namely the establishment of a multilateral register for geographical indications for wines and spirits; extending a higher level geographical indication protection to products other than wines and spirits; and the disclosure requirement obliging patent applicants to disclose the origin of genetic material and traditional knowledge used in their inventions. In his report, the Director-General had indicated that Members had covered much ground and that the discussions had been useful for all parties involved. He had also highlighted Members' consistent support for the principles and objectives embodied in the CBD, including prior informed consent and equitable sharing of benefits. The report also mentioned that Members continued to disagree on how to address those particular issues. He said that the Director-General's report was a concise and fair reflection of the state of play of those issues over a year ago.
45. He further said that there was a need to recapture a debate that remained crucial for developing countries and to link it with on-going developments at the IGC. His delegation would revert to the matter in a future session of the Council with concrete ideas about the process.
