Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO: Fifty-Ninth Series of Meetings

Duration of sessions

Daily sessions will run precisely from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. If necessary, night sessions (from 7 p.m. onwards) will be organized. Unless otherwise indicated, there will be no weekend meetings.

Requests to take the floor

Delegations wishing to take the floor on any agenda item are strongly encouraged to send their requests in advance to [email protected], preferably up to the day before the discussions on the item (in particular for Agenda Item 5 – General Statements).

Delegates may also request the floor directly during discussions.

General statements (Agenda Item 5)

General Statements are expected to take up the first day and part of the second day of the Assemblies.

As per previous practice, and in order to minimize the need for night sessions, General Statements should be delivered orally, within five minutes by group coordinators on behalf of their members or within three minutes by individual country delegates.

A display system will assist delegates to adhere to the time limitation. If a statement cannot be delivered at a speed that allows for accurate interpretation within the prescribed time limit, it should be summarized orally and the full version submitted in writing to the Secretariat ([email protected]).

In the interests of time, delegations may also choose to submit their entire General Statement in writing and not take the floor.

Each General Statement submitted in writing to the Secretariat will be posted on the WIPO website after delivery.  All statements, including those not delivered orally, will be reproduced in their entirety in the report.

Documentation

To contribute positively to an environmentally-friendly meeting and reduce costs, Assemblies documents are posted on the WIPO website for downloading. They are posted in all official languages, as they become available. Documents are available in accessible format for those who are print-disabled.

Hard copies of documents will not be sent in advance unless specifically requested. Delegates are strongly encouraged to come to the meetings with pre-printed copies of documents and/or to use portable computers and devices.

Interpretation

In order to ensure the highest quality of interpretation, interpreters should receive a copy of prepared statements (even in draft form) ahead of their oral delivery. This is particularly important for longer statements, such as General Statements under Agenda Item 5.

Prepared statements should be sent as early as possible (at the latest on the morning of their delivery) to Ms. Christina Fertis, Chief Interpreter ([email protected]) or handed to the WIPO conference staff. The statements will be made available to interpreters prior to delivery, in order to assist them in faithfully transmitting the messages of delegates.