Committees Meetings

Endorsement of the WIPO 2006-2007 Program and Budget

On April 29 the WIPO Program and Budget Committee endorsed the Proposed Program and Budget for the 2006-2007 biennium presented by WIPO Director General Kamil Idris. This will now be sent to the WIPO General Assembly in September 2005 for adoption. Three delegations stated at this time that they were not able to support the proposal.

The Program and Budget Committee endorsed a budget amounting to 531 million Swiss Francs (SFr). Addressing delegates at the opening of the meeting, WIPO Financial Controller Carlotta Graffigna stressed that the Proposed Budget for 2006/07 introduced a policy based on budgetary balance following four consecutive biennia of budgeted deficits. This was proposed with no increase in the fees levied on WIPO services to the private sector, no deficit, no surplus, and reserves at the level set by Member States.

Mrs. Graffigna noted that income was expected to grow by 4.4 percent in 2006/07. Demand for the services provided by WIPO to the private sector continued to grow, while contributions from Member States were at a historically low level – less than 7 percent of the overall income. Within an effectively status quo budget (only eight million SFr higher than the revised budget for 2004/05), resources for cooperation with developing countries would increase from 71.7 million SFr to 73.7 million SFr. Thanks to vigorous efforts led by the Director General to implement cost-saving and efficiency measures , the deficit in the 2004/05 biennium was contained at a minimum, leaving reserves almost untapped.

While the Committee endorsed the proposal, it stipulated that the General Assembly in September 2005 could make adjustments as appropriate in order to take into account any budgetary implications resulting from on-going discussions on the WIPO Development Agenda or other issues.

Funding of new building

Delegates also supported a proposal for WIPO to take out a bank loan to fund the revised construction project for a new administrative building. Subject to the endorsement of the General Assembly meeting in September 2005, construction work would resume in 2006 following a tender for the bank...