Patents became part of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement first in 1995 – called the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement. Developed countries had one year to ensure their patent laws were consistent with TRIPS.

On March 27, members of the NGO Delegation joined the UNAIDS Secretariat, cosponsors, and Member States in Geneva as part of a multi-stakeholder consultation to review progress in meeting the goals of the UNAIDS 2011-2015 Strategy.

For the NGO report of 2014, the NGO Delegation has chosen the topic of how intellectual property (IP) regulations impact the access to HIV treatment and what role civil society plays in addressing IP barriers to essential treatment.