Minelik A. Getahun
Mr. Minelik Alemu Getahun has served as Assistant Director General (ADG), Global Issues Sector, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) since December 2014. Mr. Getahun oversees Programs covering Traditional Knowledge, Building Respect for Intellectual Property (IP), IP and Global Challenges as well as External Relations. Before joining WIPO, Mr. Getahun served as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the United Nations Offices in Geneva and in Vienna and other international organizations in Switzerland and in Vienna. He was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia to Switzerland and (non-resident) to Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. He was the legal advisor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, and has held different diplomatic positions. He holds a Master’s degree in Public International Law from University College London and a Bachelor of Laws from Addis Ababa University. He served as a member of the African Union Commission on International Law.