World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) - 23rd Session of the Program and Budget Committee, (Geneva, 13-17 July 2015), Opening statement by Greece

The 23rd Session of the Program and Budget Committee of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was held in Geneva from 13 to 17 July 2015. Greece, at the opening of the Session delivered the following statement commenting to the Program Performance Report of 2014, the investment policy of the Organization and finally the perspective of the approval of the Organization's budget:

Statement by

Greece

WIPO-PBC

OPENING STATEMENT

Mr Chair,

At the outset, we would like to congratulate you and your Vice-Chairs for the efficient and wise guidance of this Committee. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the Secretariat for the preparation of the documents.

Greece fully aligns itself with the statement made by Japan on behalf of Group B.

Mr. Chair,

Since WIPO is a member driven Organization we believe that the work undertaken in the PBC is the backbone of the Organization in terms of transparency, accountability but also inclusiveness, core values of every UN Organization.

In a globalized and interconnected world, where norms are changing every day, discussions within this Committee signal the ability of the Organization to adapt in a coherent but most importantly quick manner, so that it would not stay behind, if not react in a timely manner to future needs.

In this regard, we would like to state our satisfaction with the content of the Program Performance Report for 2014, which reflects a balanced management of the various fields in respect of the strategic goals of this Organization. We would also like to express our satisfaction that 71% of performance indicators are “on track” and in the meanwhile we would welcome a more detailed presentation by the Secretariat of performance indicators that are not on track.

With regard to investment policy, we would support the idea expressed by our Group Coordinator, that we should evaluate it as treasury policy rather than an investment one. Moreover, in our view concrete guidelines should be provided to the Secretariat during this session, in order to revise its proposal and present it to this Committee in view of adopting it at its September’s session.

In light of the above, we believe it is crucial that discussions are conducted in an open spirit and in good faith for the benefit of all. We believe that a positive stance leading to the approval of Program and Budget for this biennium, would ensure this Organization’s ability to continue conducting its functions. We consider that this would lead to a positive Program Performance Report of the biennium presented at the PBC next year, while it would also provide a solid basis for exploring ways to find mutually acceptable solutions with regard to strategic goal I.

Thank you Mr. Chair.