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Assembly Addresses Question of Appointment of Director General

Geneva, September 24, 2002
Press Releases PR/2002/325

Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have considered the procedures for the appointment of a Director General in 2003 and decided to convene a special session of the General Assembly to endorse the nomination of a Director General by the WIPO Coordination Committee, which is scheduled to meet next March. Meeting in Geneva from September 23 to October 1, 2002, the General Assembly decided to adopt this accelerated procedure for the appointment of a Director General in light of the overwhelming support expressed by delegations for the re-election of Dr. Kamil Idris, the incumbent Director General, for a second mandate.

The term of office of Dr. Kamil Idris expires on November 30, 2003. Member states have been invited by the Chairman of WIPO's Coordination Committee to nominate candidates for the post. The deadline for submissions is December 9, 2002. In a document to the Assemblies on procedures approved in 1998, it is proposed that the session of the Coordination Committee to nominate a candidate for appointment to the post of Director General take place on March 24 & 25, 2003. According to the document, the General Assembly in September 2003 would be invited to endorse this recommendation.

However, the Chairman of the Coordination Committee, Ambassador Gustavo Albin, Permanent Representative of Mexico, said the proposed timetable would leave only two months between the appointment of the Director General and the appointment of his senior management team (mandates of the Deputy and Assistant Directors General end with the mandate of the current Director General). To enable the Director General and his new team to conduct a smooth transition, Ambassador Albin requested the current General Assembly to give the Coordination Committee the authority to call for a special session of the General Assembly before September 2003 to appoint the Director General.

After listening to statements by some 112 delegations which reflected support for the re-election of Dr. Idris for a second six-year mandate and agreement on an accelerated procedure, the Chairman of the General Assembly, Ambassador Bernard Kessedjian, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations and other specialized agencies in Geneva, said a special session of the General Assembly would be convened to endorse the decision of the Coordination Committee.

Delegations, speaking both on behalf of regional groups and nationally, expressed confidence in Dr. Idris and noted that his re-election would ensure continuity of leadership, transparency and stability. In light of the clear consensus among member states for the re-appointment of Dr. Kamil Idris for a second term, the General Assembly agreed that the special session would be held in May or June 2003.

For further information please contact the Media Relations and Public Affairs Section Section at WIPO:

  • Tel: (+41 22) - 338 81 61 or 338 95 47
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  • Email: publicinf@wipo.int.