IDRIS TO SUCCEED BOGSCH AS SECRETARY-GENERAL OF UPOVDr. Arpad Bogsch (78), citizen of the United States of America, Secretary-General of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) for the last 24 years, will retire on November 30, 1997. Today, Wednesday, 29th of October 1997, the Council of UPOV, by acclamation, appointed Dr. Kamil Idris to the post of Secretary-General. Dr. Idris, the third Secretary-General of UPOV, a national of Sudan, fluent in English, French and Arabic, has been appointed for a term of office of six years from the 1st of December 1997 through the 30th of November 2003. Dr. Idris has had a remarkable career, from being an Ambassador of his country, a Professor of Public International Law, a private Practitioner and Lawyer, a member of the United Nations International Law Commission (ILC), a Deputy Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and Director General of WIPO as of 1st of December 1997. Dr. Idris, who was appointed by the WIPO General Assembly on the 22nd of September 1997 as the third Director General of that Organization, emerging from within the Organization, has intimate knowledge of UPOV's activities as well as the views of its staff. In his acceptance speech to the UPOV Council, this morning, the Secretary-General elect said that, in approaching his duties as Secretary-General of UPOV, he will ensure that "the principles of transparency, accountability, effective collaboration and a mutually responsible relationship between member States, market-sector interests and the Secretariat will guide the Office of UPOV in the years ahead." Dr. Idris paid tribute to the energy, foresight and vision of the outgoing Secretary-General, Dr. Arpad Bogsch. The acceptance speech of Dr. Idris to the Council of UPOV is annexed to this press release. |
