The 38th Session of the Program and Budget Committee (PBC) of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), took place in Geneva from May 19 to 23, with discussion of strategic planning, budget monitoring, and financial decisions related to WIPO’s activities.

The main issues of the session’s agenda included:

• consideration and discussion of the WIPO Performance 2024;

• presentation of the Proposed Program of Work and Budget for 2026/27;

• discussion of tools for managing assets, IT infrastructure, human resources and internal control and oversight mechanisms;

• strategic directions for the further development of WIPO.

For the first time, the WIPO Secretariat also officially presented a long-term WIPO Estate Strategy. This document drastically changes the approach to real estate management at the international organisation, as it combines maintenance with a vision of a sustainable, modern and open future.

Strategic Planning for 2026–2027

The proposed Program of Work and Budget 2026/27 presents an updated methodology for distributing income and expenses by individual unions, specifically: Paris, Berne, Nice, Locarno, Vienna, as well as by international registration systems – PCT, Madrid, Hague and Lisbon.

The methodology retains the basic approaches of the previous budget cycle, while clarifying the principles of accounting for direct and indirect costs. This enables more precise resource planning and an assessment of the effectiveness of specific areas of activity.

Additionally, despite the overall decline in revenue and a decrease in the number of applications, WIPO plans to maintain its financial stability and continue investing in digital transformation and user support.

Some key findings include:

• Revenue expectations are on the decline: total revenues for 2026-2027 are estimated at CHF 945 million, a 2.8 per cent decrease from the 2024-2025 plan.

• Predominance of revenue from the patent system (PCT): PCT fees account for 76 per cent of WIPO’s revenue; expected PCT income is down 3.5 per cent to CHF 717.7 million. In general, the bulk of income (over 90 per cent) comes from fees for services related to the PCT, Madrid, and Hague systems.

• Budgetary discipline and digitisation: Upholding the policy of zero staff increases, along with efforts to transform the IT infrastructure and introduce AI tools to optimise processes.

In 2024, WIPO’s total expenditure reached CHF 383.4 million, accounting for 45 per cent of the Organisation’s annual budget.

Ukraine at the 38th Session of the PBC

Ukraine called on WIPO to stop all funding and implementation of projects in the russian federation and to permanently close the WIPO External Office in moscow. In its speech, the Ukrainian delegation emphasised that the activities of such a structure undermine the Organisation’s credibility in the face of russia’s gross violations of international law.

At the WIPO headquarters, the Ukrainian delegation was represented by Mr Ramiz Ramazanov, Counsellor to the Economic Section of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations Office and other International Organisations in Geneva. Also, Mr Andrii Zozuliuk, Head of the International Cooperation Department of the Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovations (UANIPIO), joined the Committee’s session online.

“The only way to restore justice is to terminate the activities of the Moscow office completely. The Russian Federation must be held accountable for its internationally wrongful acts and the damage caused to the field of intellectual property and innovation,” said Andrii Zozuliuk in his speech. 

Additionally, the representative of UANIPIO emphasised the scale of destruction caused by Russian aggression and presented data from the Rapid Damage and Recovery Needs Assessment (RDNA4), prepared by the Government of Ukraine, the World Bank, the European Commission and the UN. The assessment indicates that the war has resulted in USD 524 billion in damages over the three years, which is almost 460 times higher than the expected WIPO income (CHF 945 million) for 2026/27.

The Central European and Baltic States Group (CEBS) also supported Ukraine’s position. On its behalf, the Estonian delegation stressed the devastating impact of the war on the Ukrainian IP ecosystem and questioned the feasibility of the WIPO External Office in moscow.

Additionally, Poland, on behalf of a group of like-minded countries, made statements in support of Ukraine, which included Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the delegations of Switzerland, Australia and Japan spoke in support of Ukraine in their national capacities.