Daren Tang Reappointed WIPO Director General for Second Six-Year Term
Summary
WIPO Member States appointed Daren Tang, a Singaporean national, to a second six-year term as Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization. The appointment, made by WIPO's General Assembly, follows his nomination by the WIPO Coordination Committee in February. His second term runs from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2032. Tang is the fifth Director General of WIPO, succeeding Francis Gurry of Australia.
“The Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today appointed Daren Tang to a second six-year term of office as Director General of the Organization.”
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What changed
WIPO announced the reappointment of Daren Tang as Director General for a second six-year term beginning October 1, 2026. The appointment was made by the WIPO General Assembly following his nomination by the WIPO Coordination Committee. Tang, who previously served from 2020 to 2026, is the fifth Director General of the organization.
The announcement is informational in nature and does not impose compliance obligations on Member States, IP users, or businesses. It marks a leadership transition within an international standards-setting organization and has no direct regulatory or enforcement implications for regulated entities.
Archived snapshot
Apr 21, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Daren Tang Appointed for Second Term as WIPO Director General
Geneva,
April 21, 2026
PR/2026/951
The Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today appointed Daren Tang to a second six-year term of office as Director General of the Organization.
Mr. Tang’s appointment by the General Assembly, WIPO’s highest governing body, followed his nomination by the WIPO Coordination Committee in February.
(WIPO/Berrod)
I am deeply honored by the trust and confidence the Member States have placed in me for a second mandate as Director General of WIPO. In my first term, I worked with Member States to transform IP from a technical and legal matter into a business, economic and financial asset that helps drive innovation and creativity, and serves as a catalyst for jobs, investments, growth and development for all countries, while ensuring that WIPO is a place where Member States can find consensus and win together.
For the second term, this work will continue, so that WIPO’s IP systems are efficient and effective in serving users, global IP standards continue being updated to meet the needs of innovators and creators in a fast changing world driven by AI, IP continues to be protected and used by millions around the world and harnessed to address global challenges, and IP moves from the periphery to the center of all countries as they embrace IP to grow, develop and prosper.
The second term of Mr. Tang, a Singaporean national, will run from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2032.
- Mr. Tang’s curriculum vitae Mr. Tang is the fifth Director General of WIPO, following Mr. Francis Gurry of Australia (2008-2020), Mr. Kamil Idris of Sudan (1997-2008), Mr. Arpad Bogsch of the United States (1973-1997) and Mr. Georg Bodenhausen of the Netherlands (1970-1973).
The process of electing a Director General is governed by the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization and the procedures governing the nomination and appointment of Directors General of WIPO.
About WIPO
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the United Nations agency that serves the world’s innovators and creators, ensuring that their ideas travel safely to the market and improve lives everywhere.
We do so by providing services that enable creators, innovators and entrepreneurs to protect and promote their intellectual property (IP) across borders and acting as a forum for addressing cutting-edge IP issues. Our IP data and information guide decisionmakers the world over. And our impact-driven projects and technical assistance ensure IP benefits everyone, everywhere.
For more information, please contact the News and Media Division at WIPO:
- Tel: (+41 22) 338 81 61 / 338 72 24
- E-mail
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