Member States Unanimously Decide to Close Investigation Cases Against WIPO Director General Francis Gurry
Geneva, October 7, 2016 PR/2016/796
WIPO’s Coordination Committee, the governing body responsible for staff matters, agreed on October 7, 2016, to end their discussions on the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) investigation into allegations against the Director General.
The Coordination Committee reaffirmed the decision taken at their September 12, 2016 Extraordinary Session with respect to the decisions and recommendations of the Chairs of WIPO’s General Assembly and Coordination Committee, who were charged with managing this process. In their final report, the two Chairs had decided to close with no further action all investigations regarding alleged misconduct.
Member states agreed unanimously to move forward in a constructive and positive spirit with the ongoing work at WIPO to review and strengthen internal procedures relating to procurement, internal oversight, and whistle-blower policy.
Director General Francis Gurry welcomed the decision by the Coordination Committee and the renewed confidence reposed in him by WIPO’s member states.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the global forum for intellectual property policy, services, information and cooperation. A specialized agency of the United Nations, WIPO assists its 189 member states in developing a balanced international IP legal framework to meet society's evolving needs. It provides business services for obtaining IP rights in multiple countries and resolving disputes. It delivers capacity-building programs to help developing countries benefit from using IP. And it provides free access to unique knowledge banks of IP information.
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