The 39th Session of the Administrative Council of ARIPO

On 16 to 18 November 2015 ARIPO held its 39th session of the Administrative Council in Lusaka, Zambia. The session was subsequently followed by a meeting of the Ministers responsible for Intellectual Property of the member states, held on 19 and 20 November 2015.

The Administrative Council comprises of heads (or representatives) of ARIPO member state offices entrusted with dealing with intellectual property matters. The Administrative Council is responsible for recommending policies to the Council of Ministers and supervising the implementation of those policies by the Secretariat.

The Council meets at least once a year in ordinary session and its mandated functions include formulating and directing the implementation of the organisation’s polices by the ARIPO Secretariat, approval of the Secretariat’s programme of activities and budget proposals, establishment of rules of procedure, establishment of the Secretariat including the appointment of the Director General, establishment of subsidiary organs where appropriate, making rules governing organization’s financial and administrative functions, including its cooperation with other regional organisations and partners.

The 39th Administrative Council session was attended by the heads of the IP Offices of the member states and various Intellectual Property organizations including WIPO, the EPO, OAPI, UPOV, IFFRO and INTA. In addition, various patent and trade mark agents were represented in an observer capacity, including Rouse Africa represented through Gunther Roland.

During the session, the heads of the IP Offices of the member states deliberated on various working documents ranging from the financial position and budget of ARIPO, proposals to amend existing Protocols as well as proposals for the implementation of new Protocols.

The Administrative Council session involved the election of various committees for the administration of ARIPO as well as the election of the Director General. The meeting was concluded on 18 November and a report was subsequently presented to the Ministers on 19 November for approval.

More information on some of the proposals and amendments from ARIPO meeting have been discussed by the IP Karibu team and will be our focus for the month of January 2016.

To track the meeting updates and blog posts click on the #ARIPO tag below or for more information please contact Gunther Roland