A Summary of IGC 30
June 6, 2016
WIPO’s Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) concluded a week-long session on June 3, 2016.
This was the second session under the new mandate for 2016-2017 
and it addressed genetic resources.
The plenary began with a brief review of the “Indicative List of Outstanding/Pending Issues to be Tackled/Solved”. The IGC then established an informal group to discuss the different approaches reflected in the Consolidated Document Relating to Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources and the core issues underpinning them. The group comprised around 39 experts, with up to six delegates per region nominated by the Member States, as well as two indigenous representatives nominated by indigenous peoples participating in the session. Other delegates were able to sit in as observers without speaking rights, with indigenous peoples also able to nominate two additional participants without speaking rights. All other participants were able to follow the deliberations via audio feed in an adjoining room.
The plenary requested Ms. Margo Bagley (Mozambique) and Ms. Emelia Hernández (Mexico) to act as “facilitators” and they worked on further drafts of the text based on the discussions in the plenary and informals. It was agreed that the “Second Revision of the Consolidated Document Relating to Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources”, as at the close of the session on June 3, 2016, be transmitted to the Thirty-Fourth Session of the IGC, in accordance with the Committee’s mandate for 2016-2017 and the work program for 2017.
Voluntary fund
The Chair of the IGC and the Secretariat reminded the IGC, however, that the WIPO Voluntary Fund for Accredited Indigenous and Local Communities has now run out of funds and is in dire need of new contributions.
Indigenous peoples and local community participation
The WIPO Secretariat facilitated, as usual, a meeting of the Indigenous Caucus (the Indigenous Consultative Forum) on the Sunday before the session began, May 29, 2016, at WIPO Headquarters. The IGC Chair attended that meeting. Additionally, the indigenous caucus organized daily meetings during the session. The WIPO Secretariat continued to fund secretarial services (secretarial, interpretation and translation) for indigenous and local communities at the session, provided by the Documentation Centre for Indigenous Peoples (DoCip).
Indigenous panel
An indigenous panel , entitled “Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge: Sharing Indigenous and Local Community Experiences and Perspectives” was held on Monday morning. The keynote speaker was Ms. Aroha Te Pareake Mead, Member of the Ngati Awa and Ngati Porou Tribes, New Zealand, and the Chair of the Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The other two panelists were Mr. Willem Collin Louw, Secretary of the Khomani San Council, South Africa; and Mr. Alancay Morales Garro, Member of the Brunka peoples, Costa Rica. The Panel was chaired by Mr. Preston Hardison, Policy Analyst Tulalip Tribes, United States of America. Many delegates welcomed and attended the Panel, thanks particularly to the high caliber of the panelists who addressed directly the issues under negotiation at the session.
Final report
The draft report of IGC 30 will be tabled for adoption at IGC 31 which will be held from September 19 to 23, 2016.
Attendance
The Committee was attended by participants from 91 countries and 36 observers. It was chaired by Mr. Ian Goss of Australia, with Mr. Jukka Liedes of Finland and Ambassador Robert Matheus Michael Tene of Indonesia as Vice-Chairs. A total of six organizations were accredited as new observers at the session.
Documents
Documents for IGC 30 are available on our website.
Video summary
Wend Wendland, Director of WIPO's Traditional Knowledge Division and Secretary of the IGC, sums up the session that addressed genetic resources.