The move comes in response to efforts made by a number of countries, led by the US, to have a report detailing irregularities surrounding Idris’s age added to the agenda of the IP organization’s General Assemblies, which are being held this week.
The report, carried out by WIPO’s Internal Audit and Oversight Division and subsequently leaked to journalists in Geneva in February, said that Idris sought to change his records at WIPO to show that he was born on August 24 1954, despite signing numerous earlier documents showing his date of birth as August 24 1945.
The 2000-word statement prepared by WIPO’s secretariat said that “relentless efforts” had been taken by some countries to “destabilize” the Organization and “derail” it from pursuing substantive issues.
It goes on to say: “Today, after five different investigations and/or enquiries, as well as the desk-to-desk exercise, to which a great deal of energy and financial resources have been devoted, and in the absence of wrongdoing, some remain unsatisfied and have delved into the personal administrative file of the Director General to unjustifiably cast doubts on his credentials.”
The statement said that allegations suggesting that Idris would have benefited financially from misrepresenting his age were “based on incorrect speculation and refer to events which are in essence hypothetical, fictitious and will not occur – they have no basis in truth and do not correspond to the reality of the Director General’s intentions”.
At the time when the report prepared by WIPO’s Internal Audit and Oversight Division was leaked, a member of one delegation described the situation as a “disaster”, saying that it was slowly eroding staff morale at WIPO. “It is in danger of becoming a dysfunctional organization ... proper governance and transparency matters a lot.”
A spokesperson from the UK Intellectual Property Office confirmed that the US has been trying to have the Internal Audit report added to the agenda of the General Assemblies, the annual meeting of WIPO member states.
David Gilmour, public affairs officer at the US Mission in Geneva, said that there had been “a lot of behind-the-scenes” activity going on at WIPO but declined to provide further details.
The Internal Audit report has not yet been officially presented to member states. A number of delegations say that they should have an opportunity to discuss it formally.
Kamil Idris is due to step down from WIPO’s top job when his term runs out on November 30 2009. The process to appoint his successor is expected to begin late next year.
As MIP Week went to press, representatives of WIPO member states were meeting in Geneva to decide whether to add the report to the agenda.
One report that will be discussed at the General Assemblies is a study prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers. In late 2006 WIPO commissioned the firm to undertake a desk-to-desk review of the organization and the results and recommendations will be considered by WIPO member state representatives this week.
Ron Marchant, former head of the UK Patent Office, told MIP Week he was concerned about the way the Organization works said he was not surprised that some countries “are looking for a change”.
“Anyone reading the thorough report of the desk-to-desk review will also be concerned that the Organization is not well placed to meet the needs of stakeholders and staff,” he added.
The Assemblies will also address the reforms needed to modernize the Madrid Protocol along with a proposed Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of the Rights of Broadcasting Organizations, and the creation of a committee on development and intellectual property.
