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Member States Recommend Construction of New Administrative Building for WIPO

Geneva, September 11, 2002
Press Releases PR/2002/321

Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) Program and Budget Committee, meeting from September 9-11, 2002, have recommended the approval of a new administrative building to extend the Organization's premises, paving the way for the beginning of construction work. The Committee's recommendations are expected to be approved by the WIPO Assemblies which will meet in Geneva from September 23 to October 1, 2002.

The new administrative building provides a minimum of 560 working places and 280 underground parking spaces, with a construction budget of 157.5 million Sfr. Completion of the new construction is expected in 2007. WIPO currently rents office space in nine different buildings in Geneva.

The Committee also considered the question of whether to build a conference hall offering 650 seats at a cost of 33 million Sfr. While there was near consensus in favor of the construction of a conference hall, the Committee agreed to defer this question to the upcoming session of the Assemblies. The Committee also emphasized the need to coordinate the use of conference facilities within the United Nations system in Geneva.

The funding of the total construction project of 190.5 million Sfr is presented in the context of a financial plan for the period up to 2009. The project will be funded without resorting to external borrowing and without increasing fees or contributions. WIPO is a largely self-financed Organization, generating the bulk of its income from a series of services provided to the private sector. The most notable of these is the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), which offers a streamlined and cost-effective way for users to begin the process of seeking patent protection worldwide. Contributions by member states represent less than 10% of the Organization's total budget.

The previous meeting of the Assemblies in September 2001 had requested that the Swiss Federal Audit Office review proposals made by the Secretariat for the new construction. The Swiss Federal Audit Office concluded that construction costs of 190.5 million Sfr was a reasonable amount for the new administrative building and the conference hall in accordance with standards of the Swiss Association of Engineers and Architects (SIA).

For further information please contact the Media Relations and Public Affairs Section Section at WIPO:

  • Tel: (+41 22) - 338 81 61 or 338 95 47
  • Fax: (+41 22) - 338 88 10
  • Email: publicinf@wipo.int.
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