Gurry Wins Committee Vote For Next Director General Of WIPO

After a bumpy road, Francis Gurry, the director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization, today was recommended by the WIPO Coordination Committee to be returned to office for another six-year term. The nomination will head to the full membership in May with the expectation that it will be accepted.

WIPO Deputy Director General Geoffrey Onyeama and Panama Ambassador Alfredo Suescum Alfaro took the floor before the start of the second round of voting and withdrew, so the second round was not held, and Gurry was named winner by consensus of the committee. The committee will reconvene tomorrow afternoon to adopt the voting report.

In the first round in the morning, Gurry received 46 votes, with Onyeama coming in second with 20, Suescum third with 10, and Estonian Ambassador Jüri Seilenthal with 7 (IPW, WIPO, 6 March 2014).

The Coordination Committee is the member state executive body made up of 83 members. Its recommendation will head to the WIPO General Assembly, scheduled to meet on 8-9 May, for its approval or rejection.

In his short acceptance speech, Gurry thanked the committee for its confidence in him, and said it was a good basis on which to construct the future. He spoke about intellectual property but might have been referring to bigger issues.

“The world of IP is a challenging one,” but also one with “great opportunity,” he said. “Our task in the future is to manage those tensions” around IP, innovation and creativity. He said he looks forward to maximising the opportunity, for all the membership of the organisation.

The biggest task is in the ensuing months after the May General Assembly finishes its work in May, to appoint the next senior management team, he said. The timetable after the Assembly will be to advertise the senior posts, and hold intensive consultations so that the new team can be presented at the regular annual General Assembly in September. Gurry concluded by saying he is “deeply honoured” by the members’ support and paying respects to the other candidates.

In parting remarks, the Panama ambassador and the Nigerian delegation both said the candidates were put forward to help with changes that member states have indicated are needed at WIPO.

Nigeria said Onyeama’s decision to withdraw came after “very intensive consultations” with the African Group, and that they “wish to concede that Francis Gurry has won a persuasive victory and want to congratulate him.” They had put forward their candidate “because of the changes that we believed very strongly should be brought,” but that they will continue to support Gurry and cooperate with him, and “continue to insist that Africa matters in the affairs of WIPO.”

Suescum, who is chair of the World Trade Organization Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), said his candidacy “was put forward because there was a perception that there is a need to strengthen the functioning of WIPO,” and that they “thought we could help with this.”

Gurry has faced a variety of questions during his first term, related to the agreements being negotiated there, and management/staff issues.