Aussie returned as head of UN agency

Australian Francis Gurry is set to serve a second term as the UN's World Intellectual Property Organisation head.

An Australian lawyer and jurist, Francis Gurry, has been renewed for a second term as chief of the UN's influential intellectual property agency based in Switzerland.

The World Intellectual Property Organisation's (WIPO) coordination committee nominated Gurry, 62, by consensus.

It said in a statement he will be confirmed in his new, six-year mandate as director general when the body's general assembly meets May 8-9.

Gurry, who easily saw off rivals from Estonia, Nigeria and Panama, said the intellectual property issues the agency dealt with were "challenging" but also "with great opportunities".

The 186-member WIPO, based in Geneva, handles intellectual property matters and settles disputes involving patents, copyright, trademarks and website domain names.


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Source: AAP

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