Gurry urged to reinstate axed WIPO staff representative

The director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has come under pressure after two United Nations (UN) rapporteurs urged him to reinstate the recently dismissed WIPO staff council president.

In a letter sent to Francis Gurry, his decision to dismiss Moncef Kateb is criticised and he is “urged to reconsider” the move.

The letter has been sent by two rapporteurs connected to the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

It said: “We would like to express concerns at the alleged harassment and arbitrary dismissal of Mr. Kateb. We would urge your organisation to safeguard Mr. Kateb’s rights to freedom of association and to reconsider your decision to dismiss him.”

WIPO previously claimed Kateb had improperly used confidential information related to two colleagues’ disciplinary cases, which he was privy to as a member of the Joint Advisory Committee (JAC).

He was accused of breaching confidentiality rules and conflict of interest and suspended without pay in early September before later losing his job.

But in the letter, sent last month, the rapporteurs claim Kateb was wrongly suspended and that conflict of interest in WIPO’s standards code applies only to procurement and acceptance of gifts, both of which are not issues in the current case.

It also claimed that the dismissal of Kateb took place only a few days before a WIPO governing body meeting where Kateb was expected to criticise management practices.

Kateb, formerly head of WIPO’s staff council, was thought to be the first to blow the whistle on Gurry’s alleged sending of computer equipment to North Korea and Iran in an apparent breach of UN Security Council sanctions.

The letter also claimed he was denied the chance to testify on the issue.

WIPO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.