101. The Chairman suggested that the Council continue to discuss the three agenda items together on the basis of contributions by Members as has been the practice at past meetings. He said that, at its meeting in June 2011, the Council had requested him to continue consulting on the suggestion that the WIPO Secretariat be invited to brief the Council on the work of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC), and that the CBD Secretariat be invited to brief the Council on the outcome of the Nagoya meeting.
102. As regards the suggestion concerning the briefing on the work of the IGC, at the Council's meeting in March 2011, the delegation of El Salvador had, since, informed the Secretariat that it had recently been able to engage in the work of the IGC and had been, therefore, fully informed of its work. In the light of this, he said that there was no longer a need for such a briefing at the Council's meeting. However, the WIPO Secretariat was ready to assist any delegation who would wish to receive information on the current state of play. Furthermore, the WIPO Secretariat had informed him that, prior to the next meeting of the IGC foreseen for February 2012, it intended to organize an informal information session for all delegations on 31 January 2012.
103. As regards the possible CBD briefing on the outcome of the Nagoya meeting, at the Council's meeting in March 2011, Japan had made a presentation on that topic in its capacity as the host country for the CBD COP 10 in Nagoya. However, India and a number of other delegations had said that they still wished to hear from the CBD Secretariat, and reiterated their request that it be invited to provide a briefing on a one-time basis. In his consultations, these delegations had argued that while each Member had its own views, the CBD Secretariat had been neutral, had had the institutional memory and could report on all views. Some other delegations reiterated that it had been the viewpoints of the CBD members rather than the CBD Secretariat that would give WTO Members a more complete picture. Most delegations had been willing to consider, as a compromise, the possibility of a side event. The views continued, however, to diverge on whether there should be some formal link between such an event and the TRIPS Council's meeting. One delegation had presented a new idea of agreed terms of reference for the CBD Secretariat briefing at the Council.
