Canadian envoy to India appointed International Development Research Centre President

New Delhi, Feb.21 : Canada's High Commissioner to India, David Malone, was today appointed the President of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Announcing Malone's appointment, Canadian Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier said the envoy would assume charge of his new assignment from July 1, 2008.

Malone will replace Maureen O'Neil, he added.

"Mr. Malone is an accomplished diplomat and respected scholar. His immense experience in the field as well as in academic research covers areas such as international economic trends, conflict prevention and human rights. He will be a great asset to the Centre," Bernier said.

Malone joined the Department of External Affairs in 1975 and served in increasingly senior positions in Ottawa, Cairo, Amman and New York. He is currently Canada's High Commissioner to India and non-resident Ambassador to Bhutan and Nepal, managing Canada's largest diplomatic mission abroad.

From 1998 to 2004, he was President of the International Peace Academy in New York, an independent non-profit research organization. He has taught at a number of universities in Canada, France and the United States and has published numerous books and articles on international relations.

"I would like to thank Ms. O'Neil for her leadership and significant contribution to the continued success of IDRC for the past ten years," said Minister Bernier. "Her career has been dedicated to the improvement of the lives of people in the developing world."

IDRC is a Crown corporation created by Parliament in 1970 to help developing countries use science and technology to find practical, long-term solutions to the social, economic and environmental problems they face. Support is directed toward building an indigenous research capacity to sustain policies and technologies that developing countries need to build healthier, more equitable and more prosperous societies.

IDRC works collaboratively with many federal government departments, especially Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency. Guided by a 21-member international Board of Governors, IDRC reports to Parliament through the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In New Delhi, where IDRC has located one of its six regional offices, Malone said: "I will be tremendously sorry to leave India, an assignment I have loved. But I am delighted to be offered the opportunity to work with the very impressive IDRC Board and staff on a broad range of issues highly relevant to India and on which India's leadership will be of systemic importance to development efforts in the rest of the world."

ANI