September 29, 2005 (3:00 p.m. EDT)
No. 172

APPOINTMENT TO IDRC BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew today announced the appointment of Ahmed Galal to the Board of Directors of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

“Mr. Galal’s years of experience in the analysis of international economic trends and the challenges of private sector development policy will be an asset to the Board and the Centre as a whole,” said Minister Pettigrew.

An Egyptian national, Mr. Galal holds a PhD in economics from Boston University, and is currently Executive Director and Director of Research at the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, an independent think-tank dedicated to economic development in Egypt. He has also been a staff member of the World Bank since 1984.

IDRC’s 21-member Board of Governors oversees the direction and management of the IDRC. While the International Development Research Centre Act stipulates that a majority of members, including the chair and vice-chair, must be Canadian, traditionally the Board has been composed of 10 governors from developing countries and member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The international composition of its board makes the IDRC unique among Canada’s public corporations and helps to ensure that the Centre’s programs and operations effectively respond to the needs of the developing world. Governors are appointed by the Canadian government on the basis of their concern for and expertise in development issues.

The IDRC is one of the world’s leading institutions in the generation and application of new knowledge to meet the challenges of international development. For 35 years, the IDRC has worked in close collaboration with researchers from the developing world in its search for the means to build healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies.

The IDRC is a Crown corporation that reports to Parliament through the Minister of Foreign Affairs. 

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Sébastien Théberge
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851

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Foreign Affairs Canada
(613) 995-1874
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