The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) convened the 39th session of its Program and Budget Committee (PBC) from 16 June 2025 to 20 June 2025. With respect to WIPO’s proposed Program and Budget for 2026/2027, the PBC passed the following decision:
The PBC further requested to refer the outstanding items discussed during PBC 39 to the 66th series of meetings of the WIPO Assemblies:
i. Removal of all references to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and SDGs from the Proposed Program and Budget for 2026/2027
As flagged by KEI in early May, the United States “expressed its antipathy to WIPO’s engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” at the 34th session of WIPO’s 34th session of the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) in May 2025.
On Wednesday, 18 June 2025 (on the third day of the June PBC), the United States stated:
First, as stated repeatedly at PBC 38, the United States objects to the framing of this document in terms of the Sustainable Development Goals.
WIPO should not be prioritizing the implementation of the SDGs or directing its work in an attempt to implement the SDGs. At PBC 38, the Secretariat clarified that WIPO does not budget for the SDGs but rather budgets for WIPO’s expected results in the Strategy House.
The inclusion of unnecessary aesthetic elements, graphics and language implying WIPO’s Program of Work and Budget is guided by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs gives a false impression of the manner in which WIPO’s work is driven.
As such, the United States requests these elements be removed from the proposed Program of Work and Budget.
At PBC 38, the Secretariat also clarified that WIPO’s implementation strategies are driven not by the SDGs but by the expected results of the Medium Term Strategic Plan.
The extent to which WIPO’s work can be labeled as a contribution to the SDGs is simply a product of WIPO working towards its expected results.
The United States also requests removing from the proposed Program of Work and Budget any language calling for WIPO to conduct its work or devote resources towards implementing the SDGs, including, for example, the regional and national development sector’s fourth priority and the section of the narrative on global challenges and partnership sector entitled 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
In response to the US intervention on WIPO and its work toward the implementation of the UN SDGS, several Member States responded.
Brazil
Brazil would like to start by thanking the Distinguished Delegation of the United States of America for sharing additional proposals during this afternoon.
We look forward to receiving specific language in writing on this matter.
With regard to the first and third points raised, we would like to add our voice to what has just been said by the Distinguished Representative from the African Group.
This Delegation would like to reiterate our view on the pertinence and accuracy of the explicit reference on the proposed work program of work and budget to both the WIPO Development Agenda and to the Sustainable Development Goals, the SDGs. As we have already expressed during the PBC38, it is our view that the current document adequately reflects WIPO’s strategic priorities and is fully aligned with the organization’s medium-term strategic plan for 2022-2026, which we were able to collectively agree upon all Member States.
This Delegation, therefore, supports our shared and continued efforts to ensure that IP system is inclusive, representative and responsive to the needs and priorities of all, including our Developing Countries.
Brazil is particularly pleased with the increased budget allocation to developmental activities, including through the creation of the Development Acceleration Fund, which we consider is a significant step to strengthening WIPO’s commitment to development of oriented initiatives and to the effective implementation of WIPO’s Development Agenda Recommendations.
Finally, Mr. Chair, we still trust that the discussions during the sessions will be able to reflect a common understanding that WIPO financial sustainability needs to go hand-in-hand with its development oriented responsibility being WIPO, a UN system organization.
We remain committed to working constructively with all Delegations and with the Secretariat to advance a proposed program of work and budget that is balanced, transparent and development oriented.
I thank you very much.
Egypt
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Our Delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by the Distinguished Delegate of Namibia on behalf of African Group and we thank the Distinguished Delegate of the United States for their proposal.
[The] Egypt Delegation highly values WIPO’s continued commitment to its Development Agenda and UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and supports in this regard the current proposal of the Programme of Work and Budget with regard to the allocation of resources to the Development Agenda as will add the new Development Acceleration Fund which demonstrates the pivotal role WIPO is playing in fostering innovation and supporting Development Agenda in respective Member States and comes in alignment with WIPO Medium Terms Strategic Plan 2022/2026.
I thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you very much for your intervention
.
Mexico
Thank you, Chair.
Mexico also aligns itself with Delegations which have expressed their support to referencing the Sustainable Development Goals in the draft budget and the Development Acceleration Fund as currently reflected.
Work on references to SDGs does not imply an external mandate above and beyond WIPO’s mandate but rather underpinning WIPO’s mandate within IP as a development tool.
WIPO’s agenda is supported by all Member States and already intends to support IP in development. Including information on the SDGs in the budget is complimentary.
This helps us to map out how projects help foster national and international development, increaseaccountability and ensures the evaluation of projects.
This also helps us articulate our work better with the international system and other agencies and it helps us mobilize funds.
So this does not limit our sovereignty but rather opens up greater opportunities for collaboration. The majority of Member States recognize that SDGs are an important framework for shaping public policy in a voluntary manner and ignoring this would be not constructive to the work of WIPO and the United Nations.
On Thursday morning, 19 June 2025, the United Kingdom made an intervention on behalf of 43 countries in response to the the United States.
Their riposte is reproduced below:
I make this statement on behalf of a number of countries.
Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK and Ukraine.
This group agrees to the framing of the WIPO Programme of Work and Budget 2026/27 and the multiple considerations that have been taken into account including the core mandate of WIPO, its adherence to the Sustainable Development Goals as a member of the UN family and necessary prudence due to the current global financial setting.
This group of like-minded recognizes the global challenges and partnership sector as an important part of WIPO’s efforts to address pressing environmental and socioeconomic issues through Intellectual Property. We welcome the focus on scaling up climate technology transfer, engaging a broader network of private sector partners and tracking the real world impact of these initiatives. We find the current balance of the proposed budget to be appropriate.
Thank you, Chair.
On the final day of the proceedings (20 June 2025), the Chair noted:
CHAIR: So this brings us to the last outstanding issue which is also a proposal from the United States relating to the removal of all references to the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda in the programme of work and budget for the next biennium.
The United Kingdom responded on behalf of the aforementioned 43 countries:
I would like to make this statement on behalf of the same group of countries on whose behalf I spoke yesterday.
And we would just like to reiterate that WIPO has a responsibility to deliver its core mandate including filing and registration systems for its customers and it should always do this with appropriate consideration for financial care and prudency.
It is also a member of the UN family and as such should adhere to the sustainable development goals and we support WIPO’s efforts to address pressing environmental and socioeconomic issues through Intellectual Property.
Thank you, Chair.
In light of the deadlock on SDGs, the PBC referred the US proposal on deleting all references to the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and SDGs from the Proposed Program and Budget for 2026/2027” to the 66th series of meetings of the WIPO Assemblies (8 July 2025 to 17 July 2025). Seasoned observers to WIPO speculate that the US proposal on SDGs may be subject to a vote at the WIPO General Assembly.