Dr. Kamil Idris Re-appointed as WIPO Director General

Geneva, May 27, 2003
Press Releases PR/2003/348

Dr. Kamil Idris, a national of Sudan, was formally re-appointed to a second term as Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on Tuesday May 27, 2003. Dr. Idris received unanimous support during an extraordinary session of the Organization's General Assembly on May 26 and 27, 2003, as member states confirmed a recommendation by the Organization's Coordination Committee (see PR/2003/341) to offer Dr. Idris a second six-year mandate, which will begin on December 1, 2003. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Idris pledged to build on the achievements of the past and to ensure that intellectual property gains its rightful place on the agenda of policy-makers at the highest level and is recognized as a powerful tool for economic, social and cultural development.

Dr. Idris outlined the Organization's accomplishments over the past six years and his goals for the future. During his first term as Director General his vision for the Organization had "an outward focus - based on relevance, empowerment and inclusion - and an inward focus - based on clarity, efficiency and transparency." It had aimed to highlight and underscore "the central role of intellectual property as an important tool for social development, economic growth and wealth creation. Thus the demystification campaign of WIPO focused on the benefits creativity and innovation brings to improving our daily lives." He expressed his commitment to strengthening and expanding these achievements during his second term.

Dr. Idris set out elements that he had identified, six years ago, as critical to the future of the intellectual property system and of WIPO - modernization of management; outreach; cooperation for development; progressive development of intellectual property law; and the Organization's global protection systems and services. After analyzing each element in relation to what he promised six years ago and what the Organization had achieved during his first mandate, he set out his vision for the future.

With respect to the modernization of management, Dr. Idris said he had promised enhanced transparency, accountability and efficiency and the introduction of information technology (IT) assisted procedures and services. A results-based program and budget, the setting up of various oversight mechanisms and enhanced human resources management had all been achieved during his first mandate. In addition, a series of constitutional reforms had been launched to streamline the work of the Organization and a number of vital and wide-ranging IT projects had been undertaken. In terms of the future, Dr. Idris said the Organization would concentrate on harvesting the benefits of the modern management techniques that had been put in place and on consolidating and leveraging the new, critical IT-based tools.

In reviewing the Organization's outreach activities, Dr. Idris recalled the establishment of a special program aimed at increasing awareness at all levels of the critical role of intellectual property in enhancing people's lives. He listed a series of accomplishments in this area, noting a significant increase in interest in intellectual property in both the public and private sectors in the past several years. Dr. Idris expressed his resolve to continue efforts to create and strengthen an intellectual property culture, both at policy and grass roots levels. He said work during his second term will aim at ensuring greater and more inclusive respect for intellectual property and increasing the attention paid to the social dimension of intellectual property issues.

In the critical area of cooperation for development, Dr. Idris noted that one of the main goals of the last six years had been to enhance, structure and customize national and regional activities. A major achievement in this area has been the establishment of new tools, such as nationally and regionally focused action plans, to provide customized assistance to developing countries. WIPO's Worldwide Academy has also proved to be a very successful tool in human resource development, in particular with respect to its distance learning program which, last year alone, reached over 5,000 students. Dr. Idris said that the Organization would continue to help developing countries to leverage their intellectual property assets and underscored his commitment to strengthening intellectual property's role in national policy-making.

The Director General highlighted a number of accomplishments with respect to the progressive development of intellectual property law. These included the conclusion of the Patent Law Treaty, the new Act of the Hague Agreement on Industrial Designs, the entry into force of the WIPO "Internet treaties" (the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty), and the intensive ongoing debate relating to traditional knowledge, genetic resources and folklore. Dr. Idris said that, in the future, focus will be placed on ensuring that the tools of the intellectual property system are accessible to all and pledged to continue with initiatives such as the WIPO Patent Agenda, which seeks to establish such accessibility for the patent system.

Turning to global protection systems and services, Dr. Idris noted that these market-oriented services have been enhanced, as promised. The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the most widely used of these services had, since 1997, witnessed a 100% growth in filings, a 50% reduction in fees and a 700% increase in use of the PCT by developing countries. He underscored the significant expansion in the geographic reach of the Madrid system for international trademark registration and also the leading role that had been taken by WIPO's Arbitration and Mediation Center in providing dispute resolution services with respect to domain names. WIPO would continue to increase the value and efficiency of those services in the future.

In closing, Dr. Idris reaffirmed his commitment to making intellectual property closer to the people, recognizing the diversity of cultures, origins and systems, and underscored his belief that "intellectual property is the foundation of human existence and co-existence and that it is foreign to no culture and native to all nations."

Delegations commended Dr. Idris for the efficiency, vision and dynamism with which he has led the Organization over the last six years. He had crafted a modern, forward-looking and innovative intellectual property framework and, under his leadership, the Organization had established itself as one of the leading UN specialized agencies in the knowledge-based economy. Member states commended his drive in successfully modernizing and streamlining the working methods of the Organization through, for example, the introduction of greater openness, transparency and results-based budgeting and the implementation of technology-based solutions, such as the PCT automation (or "IMPACT") project. Developing countries welcomed, in particular, his efforts to make the Organization more inclusive and to address their particular concerns. Over the two days, some 100 delegations took the floor to congratulate the Director General on his past accomplishments and pledge their continued support.

In his summing up, the Chairman of the WIPO General Assembly, Ambassador Bernard Kessedjian, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations and other specialized agencies in Geneva said that Dr. Idris has created a unique climate of confidence within the Organization thanks to a sense of balance and fairness and his availability to address the concerns of all. He said the unanimous and overwhelming support that Dr. Idris received from the member states is testimony to his accomplishments at the helm of the WIPO. Ambassador Kessedjian said the praise which was paid to the Director General during the General Assembly is a measure of his "exceptional" dedication to the Organization. He said the Director General had executed his mission with "passion, perseverance and determination."

For further information, please contact the Media Relations and Public Affairs Section at WIPO +41 22 338 81 61/338 9547 or publicinf@wipo.int.