Head of UN patent agency to quit after row over alleged fals

Head of UN patent agency to quit after row over alleged falsified documents
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Head of UN patent agency to quit after row over alleged falsified documents

The Associated Press
Thursday, November 15, 2007
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GENEVA: The head of the U.N. patent agency is to leave his post a year early, officials said Thursday.

Kamil Idris, who was due to step down from his post as director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2009, had faced pressure to resign after using an apparently false birth date to get jobs and win promotions.

Developed countries failed last month in thd eir bid for a public debate on an internal report that said Idris had claimed his year of birth as 1945 when he applied to join the agency, then changed it to 1954 last year.

The earlier date would have helped him get his first job at WIPO in 1982 and subsequent promotions until 1997, when he landed the post of director-general at the agency. The later birth date could have enhanced his retirement benefits, the report said. Idris denies the allegations.

The row led the United States and other Western countries to block approval of the agency's US$537 million (€378 million) biennial budget for the 2008-2009 period, hampering its efforts to expand its work in developing countries.

Idris, a Sudanese national, announced his departure Wednesday in an internal memo to staff, which was obtained by The Associated Press. Its authenticity was confirmed by WIPO officials.

In the memo Idris states that he has "decided to advance the process for nominating and appointing a Director General" and urges member states to consider approving the new budget.

No reason for his early departure, likely to be in the fall of 2008, is given, and WIPO officials were unable to provide an immediate explanation.

Warren Tichenor, the U.S. ambassador in Geneva, issued a statement describing Idris's announcement as "a positive development."

"The member states and the employees of WIPO deserve to have an organization that is led with the highest professional and ethical standards, and we believe that this renewal of leadership will bring new confidence and vitality to the organization," he said.

During the agency's annual meeting in Geneva last month, Tichenor lamented the failure of member states to "properly address the evidence of misconduct by the director-general." A European Union request for Idris to step down in order to avoid further damage to the organization's credibility was rebuffed at the time.

Developing countries had resisted public scrutiny of the allegations against Idris, describing them as part of a racist smear campaign against the head of a well-run United Nations body.

WIPO is unique among U.N. agencies because it achieves a multimillion-dollar (-euro) surplus by charging fees on patent registrations and other commercial services, rather than having member states paying all operating costs.

In addition to the age discrepancy, the Associated Press has learned that Idris made differing claims about his qualifications when he applied for jobs.

Idris' 1982 application said he obtained a master's degree in international law from Ohio University in 1978. But Jessica Stark, spokeswoman for the university, told the AP Idris attended from Sept 12, 1977, to June 10, 1978, when he received a Master of Arts in African Studies.

Idris later issued a statement saying that he received a Master of Arts in International Affairs at Ohio University, omitting the reference to a law degree originally mentioned in the 1982 job application.

U.S. officials have also expressed "strong concerns" about the accuracy of Idris' past applications for U.S. visas and said they were considering whether that should result in the denial of future visa applications.

It is unclear whether Idris will face any further scrutiny of his alleged misconduct following the announcement of his early departure.

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