Kamil Idris | |
|---|---|
كامل إدريس | |
.png) Official portrait, 1997 | |
| 16th Prime Minister of Sudan | |
| Assumed office 31 May 2025 | |
| President | Abdel Fattah al-Burhan |
| Preceded by | Abdalla Hamdok Dafallah al-Haj Ali (acting) |
| 3rd Director General of theWorld Intellectual Property Organization | |
| In office 22 September 1997 – 1 October 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Árpád Bogsch |
| Succeeded by | Francis Gurry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kamil El-Tayeb Idris Abdelhafiz (1954-08-26)26 August 1954 (age 71) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | |
| Education | |
Kamil El-Tayeb Idris Abdelhafiz (Arabic:كامل الطيب إدريس,romanized: Kamil Altayib 'Iidris; born 26 August 1954)[1][2] is a Sudanese statesman, scholar, international civil servant and politician who has been the 16thprime minister of Sudan since 2025. He previously served as Director General of theWorld Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) from 1997 to 2008 and as Secretary-General of theInternational Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV).
Educated in Sudan,Egypt,Switzerland, and theUnited States, Idris joined the World Intellectual Property Organization at the age of 28 in 1982. He became the Director General in 1997 and served for 11 years until 2008. He later left the WIPO and returned to Sudan to join politics. He was anIndependent candidate in the2010 general election, coming in sixth place.
In 2025, amid an ongoing and devastatingcivil war, Idris was appointed prime minister by theTransitional Sovereignty Council under PresidentAbdel Fattah al-Burhan. He thus became the first civilian prime minister of Sudan sinceAbdalla Hamdok's resignation three years earlier in January 2022.
According to a document prepared by the Office of the UPOV, Kamil Idris holds aBachelor of Law (LLB) fromKhartoum University, aBachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Political Science and Economic Theories fromCairo University, a Master in International Law and International Affairs fromOhio University, and a Doctorate in International Law in 1984 from the thenUniversity of Geneva-affiliatedGeneva Graduate Institute.[3][4]Franklin Pierce Law Center in the United States awarded Idris an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree in May 1999.[5] In 2005, Idris received an honorary Doctor of Letters fromIndira Gandhi National Open University in India.[6]
Idris joined WIPO on 30 December 1982.[7] Idris was member of theInternational Law Commission from 1992 to 1996 and from 2000 to 2001.[8]
On 22 September 1997, he was appointed Director General of WIPO for a period of six years.[9] Idris succeededÁrpád Bogsch, who served as Director General for 25 years. The Director General oversees WIPO's efforts for global intellectual property protection.
In March 1998, Idris visited theUnited States Congress and met with theUnited States Secretary of Commerce to discuss safeguarding and promoting American ingenuity, and he received an official welcome by Congress.[10] In 2001, Idris, along withMihnea Motoc, signed a Program of Cooperation betweenRomania and WIPO.[11]
He was formally re-appointed to a second six-year term as Director General of WIPO on 27 May 2003.[12][13] The same year, he inaugurated the new Center For Intellectual Property at theUniversity of National and World Economy.[14] In 2006, Idris negotiated a cooperation program between WIPO and the Government ofAzerbaijan.[15][16]
Throughout his tenure as Director General, Idris donated his salary as Secretary-General of the Union for the Protection of Plant Varieties (UPOV) to developing countries. His mandate was originally due to end on 30 November 2009. A WIPO document released in 2016 indicate that in 2007, Idris requested that the WIPO Coordination Committee advance the process for appointing his replacement, whose appointment began October 2008.[17]
In 2008, Idris went toKyrgyzstan to meet PresidentKurmanbek Bakiyev and Prime MinisterIgor Chudinov, where they discussed developing a digital library for the country.[18]
After leaving the WIPO, Idris returned to Sudan where he joined politics. In the2010 general election, Idris ran for the presidency as anIndependent, challenging then longtime PresidentOmar al-Bashir, subsequently falling to sixth place.[19]
In May 2025, in the midst of thecivil war, Idris was appointed prime minister by theTransitional Sovereignty Council under PresidentAbdel Fattah al-Burhan. He is the first civilian prime minister sinceAbdalla Hamdok resigned in 2022.[20] On 1 June, Idris ordered the dissolution of the transitional government.[21] On 19 June, Idriss has outlined plans for a 22 ministerial team, dubbed the Government of Hope.[22]
In August 2025, Idris visited Egypt as part his first overseas travel as prime minister.[23]On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Idris met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the political and security situation in Sudan and prospects for post-conflict recovery."Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's meeting with Prime Minister of the Republic of Sudan Kamil Idris".The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. 27 September 2025. Retrieved9 October 2025.
In early October, he continued regional engagement with an official visit to Eritrea and preparations for a visit to South Sudan, aimed at reviving bilateral cooperation agreements."Prime Minister Kamil Idris Leaves for Eritrea On an Official Visit".allAfrica.com (SUNA). 9 October 2025. Retrieved9 October 2025."South Sudan prepares to welcome Sudanese prime minister".Sudan Tribune. 8 October 2025. Retrieved9 October 2025.
In 2006, a report conducted by WIPO's Internal Audit and Oversight Division at the request of theUnited Nations Joint Inspection Unit showed Idris' age had been misrepresented was the information was leaked to media outlets.[24][25][26][27][28] Earlier WIPO records showed Idris' date of birth to be 26 August 1945, but he had attempted to change his records to show he was born on 26 August 1954.[25] On 21 September 2007 the Secretariat of the WIPO called the report[29] "a deliberate intention to harm [Idris]"[30] and criticized the report's legitimacy and failure of the author to follow procedure which compromised its confidential status.[31] Idris' birthday has been reported as possibly being 26 August 1945,[32] 26 August 1953[33] or 26 August 1954.[34]
During the 10-day WIPO general assembly that ended on 3 October 2007, a move to remove Idris from his position was blocked. WIPO came under fire for its credibility. Idris agreed to resign,[35] and stepped down a year early from his post as head of WIPO.[36]
In December 2016, it was reported that documents from WIPO dated in 2010 signed by the legal counsel of the organization, Edward Kwakwa, were released which show that Idris did not misrepresent his birth date.[1][37]
Idris is an Honorary Fellow atDurham University in the United Kingdom.[38] He also serves as an Honorary Professor of Law atPeking University and holds an Honorary Doctorate fromFudan University in China.[39][40]
In 1999, Idris was awarded an honorary medal from theMoscow State Institute of International Relations for his work in intellectual property.[41] He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate fromMoldova State University that year.[42]
In 2001, Idris received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa at theUniversity of Bucharest and was awarded theGrand Cross of the Infante D. Henrique fromPortugal.[11][43] Honorary doctorates from theUniversity of Matej Bel as well as theMongolian University of Science and Technology were also granted in 2001.[44][45]
In 2002, he received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa fromUkraine in recognition of his contribution to the development of cooperation in the field of intellectual property.[46] Idris was also presented with theCommandeur dans l'Ordre du Merite Nationale, the highest distinction ofCôte d'Ivoire, for promoting social progress.[47]
Idris, along withGeorgi Parvanov, was awarded a medal by the National University of National and World Economy in 2003 for efforts in promoting economic development inBulgaria.[14] The Al Emam Al Mahdi University in theWhite Nile State awarded him an Honorary Doctorate in December of that year.[48]
In 2004, SultanQaboos bin Said granted Idris with theOrder of Oman,[49] and the city ofVenice,Italy also granted him the first-everVenice Award for Intellectual Property.[50]
Idris was decorated with theOrden de Aguila Azteca in 2005 for his work in Mexico's economic development.[51] The following year, theAfrican Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) named its new regional intellectual property training center after Idris,[52] and he received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Azerbaijan.[16] He also received theOrder of the Two Niles.[53]
Idris received honorary doctorate degrees from theUniversity of Gezira and theUniversity of Khartoum in 2007.[54][55] The following year, the Kyrgyz State University of Construction, Transport and Architecture (KSUSTA) also granted him an honorary doctorate.[18]
| Positions in intergovernmental organisations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Director General ofWorld Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) 1997–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Republic of Sudan (1956–1969) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Republic of Sudan (1969–1985) | ||
| Republic of Sudan (1985–2019) | ||
| Transitional period (2019–present) | ||
| ||
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
