Election of the UNESCO Director General

How to Read the Blog

2009-11-23T17:27:00.005-05:00

This blog can now be seen to serve as a documentation of the recent election for the post of Director General of UNESCO. For that purpose it might best be read in the following order:

The Background

Biographical Information on the Candidates

Candidates' Vision Statements

Coverage of the Campaign (prior to the first vote of the Executive Board)

Coverage During the Voting by the Executive Board

The Election in the UNESCO General Conference

Post Election Materials

Commentary

The voting in the Executive Board was, as expected, the defining element of the election. Prior to that voting most of the press coverage was framed around the candidacy of Farouk Hosny -- his leadership position in the race and the likely challengers. Perhaps as a result of that framing, several key forces aligned against his candidacy. Arrayed against Hosny were several candidates, the strongest of whom appeared to be two Permanent Delegates to UNESCO (Bokova and Marciulionyte) and an European Union Commissioner (Ferrero-Waldner). The only candidate from the Americas (Baki) appeared as a dark horse who was rumored to have the support of the United States delegation. Candidates tended all to have visible presence on the Internet, campaign brochures, and hospitality suites at key events. Several of the candidates spent time traveling to UNESCO member nation capitols to promote their candidacies, most importantly the eventual winner, Irina Bokova. The strong support of top officials from their home governments was important for several candidates, suggesting that there was some important behind the scenes electioneering going on.

Ultimately, it appears that the negative campaign opposing Hosny was effective. There was little public discussion of the negative aspects of other candidacies until they became serious challengers to Hosny. Ultimately, it appears that Hosny could not expand his lead to a majority of the delegates to the Executive Board and a majority finally coalesced around his principal opponent, Bokova.

The General Conference did not unanimously support the recommendation of the Executive Board, but did so by a large majority.

Ultimately, the Organization selected its first woman Director General and the first from Group 2 -- the former Communist nations. In doing so, it rejected the bid of the candidate of the Arab nations who would have been the second Muslim and the second person from Group 5 and the African nations.

Of course, it is important that all the leading candidates were multilingual, with experience in high level government posts, and counted significant diplomatic experience in their backgrounds. None was a globally recognized leader in education, science nor communications. Indeed, the only scientist in the field got few votes and dropped out early. Hosny, as long term Minister of Culture of Egypt, was the only candidate with major credentials in management of one of UNESCO's key sectors.

Normalization Politics on the Nile

2009-11-23T17:12:00.004-05:00

Ursula Lindsey, a Cairo based reporter, published this article in Middle East Report describing the boycott of Israel by Egyptian intellectuals and defining that as a context for Farouk Hosny's opposition to cultural normalization with Israel during his decades as Minister of Culture of Egypt, and the brouhaha in Egypt when in running for Director General of UNESCO he appeared to some Egyptians to be wavering on that opposition.

The article describes also the opposition that arose against Minister Hosny's UNESCO candidacy, led by Jewish intellectuals (but by no means limited to them), based on his history of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel remarks.

It does not deal with the opposition to the candidacy based on other factors, and as such is not a complete documentation of the UNESCO election bit of Minister Hosny. Reporter Lindsey does however make a strong case for rethinking Egyptian tactics in support of the Palestinian cause, especially in the more effective targeting of the boycott.

"Yo ya me he convertido en un símbolo"

2009-11-05T17:09:00.003-05:00

Fuente: ANTONIO JIMÉNEZ BARCA, El Pais (Espana), 05/11/2009

Dice estar decidida a impulsar la institución, un tanto paquidérmica y adormecida. "Tenemos que convertir la Unesco en una suerte de conciencia de la humanidad. Nuestra labor es fortalecer el humanismo, la dignidad, el diálogo. Es mi ambición". ¿Y qué papel desempeña en eso el director general? "Yo ya me he convertido en un símbolo", dice sin petulancia.

Ama la música, toca el piano, le gusta la arqueología y cuando era estudiante le apasionaban las novelas de ciencia-ficción con trasfondo moral: Ray Bradbury, Stanislaw Lem... Ahora ya no. Para leer en su casa, se olvida de ese futuro al que alude constantemente, y se sumerge en los libros de historia.

"Media flurry demonizes Egyptian culture minister"

2009-10-28T13:51:00.003-04:00

Source: HAZEL HEYER, eTurboNews (eTN), October 26, 2009

"Egyptian reviews and numerous opinions have been expressed in newspapers throughout Egypt about the recent defeat of Culture Minister Farouk Hosni. His defeat happened in the last round of the elections for UNESCO’s director-general post. Diverse opinions - contradictory or complementary – flood the press from the assumption of a conspiracy orchestrated by the so-called American axis of evil, as they call him, to the idea of a missed opportunity to develop the Arab-West dialogue.

"Not long after Minister Farouk Hosni lost the last round of the elections for UNESCO’s top position, the gates of media hell flung wide open. The press in Egypt reflected on the subject from different points of view. Under the headline, 'Collusion,' al-Musawwar of September 23, 2009 wrote, Hosni lost with honor and Washington lost its own. The Al-Musawwar ascribed his failure to the conspiracy of the 'American axis of evil; Germany, Japan and Israel.'”

Read "Egyptian minister declares 'culture war' on Israel"

UNESCO General Conference: Irina Bokova sworn in as Director-General

2009-10-24T11:42:00.001-04:00

The 35th session of UNESCO’s General Conference, which ended on Friday, was marked by the election of Irina Bokova as Director-General of the Organization and the adoption of the new programme and budget for 2010 and 2011. Two ministerial round tables, focused respectively on education and the oceans, a ministerial Forum and the launch of the “World Report, Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue,” were among the highlights of the 35th session.

Egypt's Post Election Action in Berlin

2009-10-24T09:36:00.003-04:00

Berlin’s war-ruined Neues Museum opens last week after 70 years, rebuilt from rubble left by World War II bombing as a home for Queen Nefertiti’s bust and the city’s Egyptian and prehistory collections. (See the article on Bloomberg.com.) Zahi Hawass, Egypt's chief archaeologist has announced that his country wants either evidence that the bust was obtained legally a century ago, or in the absence of such proof, the return of the world famous object itself.

Last week, the Louvre returned five objects to Egypt that it had purchased between 2000 and 2003. The objects, discovered in a tomb near Luxor in 1980, had been the object of demands for their return in the past without success, but recently the Egyptian government had suspended relations with the Louvre and suspended its excavations at Saqqara. (See the article from Al Ahram Weekly.)

The New York Times now reports:

It didn’t go unnoticed in Paris, Berlin or Cairo that Mr. Hawass pressed his case about Nefertiti and suspended the excavations by the Louvre just after his country’s culture minister, Farouk Hosny, bitterly lost a bid to become director general of the United Nations’ cultural agency, Unesco. The post went late last month to a Bulgarian diplomat instead........

In any case, days after the Unesco decision, Mr. Hawass went after France and Germany. When questioned about the timing, he insisted there was no connection, saying he had asked the French to return the artifacts two months earlier. But that was when Mr. Hosny’s campaign had already started to fall apart.

Dream for the future

2009-10-17T16:48:00.002-04:00

“It is my dream to nurture relations of perfect synergy between the Director-General and Member States, so as to move together towards the creation of societies that are more just and prosperous, based on knowledge, tolerance and equal opportunity for all, thanks to education, science, culture and access to information. I shall be guided in my work by my concept of a new humanism for the 21st century.”
Irina Bokova, the newly elected Director General of UNESCO

Irina Bokova elected Director-General of UNESCO

2009-10-16T15:02:00.016-04:00

The 35th Session of the General Conference today elected Irina Bokova of Bulgaria as the tenth Director-General of UNESCO. The investiture will take place in a ceremony on Friday 23 October 2009, when Irina Bokova will become the first woman to hold the post since the foundation of the Organization in 1945.

"Play politics with Unesco and you defeat its mission"

2009-10-14T09:35:00.003-04:00

In a world plagued by environmental, economic, military and political calamities, it is wrong to deal with culture, education and science as mere pieces on a square-checkered political chessboard. Co-operation in scientific and cultural pursuits are the stepping stones for realizing harmony and unity between nations and create a platform for universal dialogue and co-operation. This must be Unesco’s mandate.

Muhammad Ayish
Al Arabiya
09 October 2009

I am on vacation and may not be posting for a couple of weeks.

2009-09-28T19:05:00.002-04:00

The Executive Board has done its work, and the General Conference will consider the recommendation in Octover. I am on vacation, and will not post until I return, I do expect to post on the General Conference.

Bokova Elected

2009-09-22T13:56:00.045-04:00

The UNESCO website has confirmed that Irina Bokova has won the Executive Board election to be Director General of UNESCO.

Read the official notification of the selection.

I have three independent unofficial reports from reliable sources that Irina Bokova received 31 votes to 27 votes for Farouk Hosny in the fifth round of voting for the position of UNESCO Director General. Having received the majority of votes from the 58 members of the Executive Board, her name will be forwarded to the General Conference.

Read:

Charge: Farouk Hosny Helped Hijackers of Achille Lauro Escape

2009-09-22T05:26:00.003-04:00

The New York Times yesterday reported:

Elaph.com, an Arabic-language Web site, published Saturday what it said were private admissions by Mr. Hosny that when he was the Egyptian cultural attaché in Rome, he helped to organize the escape from Italy in 1985 of the hijackers of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro. In that episode, a retired American Jewish tourist in a wheelchair was shot and pushed into the sea, horrifying much of the world.

Here is the Elaph.com article in Arabic.

Indications of his involvement in the escape of Abu Abbas appear to be widely available in the Arabic literature:

http://dostor.org/ar/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32600&Itemid=58
http://www.egyptiantalks.org/invb/?showtopic=52234
http://www.almatareed.org/vb/showthread.php?t=409
http://www.engineerportsaid.com/2009/01/blog-post_6870.html
http://4flying.com/archive/index.php/t-21858.html

Farouk Hosny was the Director of the Egyptian Academy in Rome when he was tapped, two years after the Achille Lauro affair, to become Minister of Culture. According to Zahi Hawass, the Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council on Antiquities, while in Rome

Farouk Hosni was not well known by the public, but he was known and respected as a talented artist within the cultural community. Several reporters visited Farouk Hosni in Rome including my friend Mostafa El Nagar and Ahmed Abu Kaf. When they were interviewing Farouk Hosni he confided in them that Atef Sedky wanted him to be Egypt’s minister of culture but he did not want the job. Upon hearing this Abu Kaf said to Mustafa that Farouk Hosni was dreaming and there was no way he could be the minister of culture. Many people wanted to be the minister of culture including famous writers and journalists.

The story of the Achille Lauro Hijacking

On October 7, 1985, led by Abu Abbas, men representing the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) took control of the liner off Egypt as she was sailing from Alexandria to Port Said. After being refused permission to dock at Tartus, the hijackers killed disabled American passenger Leon Klinghoffer and then threw him overboard.[1] The ship headed back towards Port Said, and after two days of negotiations, the hijackers agreed to abandon the liner in exchange for safe conduct and were flown towards Tunisia aboard an Egyptian commercial airliner.

United States President Ronald Reagan ordered that the plane be intercepted and directed to land at Naval Air Station Sigonella, a N.A.T.O. base in Sicily, where four hijackers were arrested by the Italians after a disagreement between American and Italian authorities. The other passengers on the plane (possibly including the hijackers' leader, Abu Abbas) were allowed to continue on to their destination, despite protests by the United States. Egypt demanded an apology from the U.S. for forcing the airplane off course. Italy refused extradition of the prisoners to the United States and they were tried in Italy.

The fate of those convicted of the hijacking was varied:

Bassam al-Asker was granted parole in 1991. He died on February 21, 2004.
Ahmad Marrouf al-Assadi disappeared in 1991 while on parole.
Youssef Majed al-Molqi, convicted of killing Leon Klinghoffer [2], was sentenced to 30 years, left the Rebibbia prison in Rome on February 16, 1996, on a 12-day furlough, and fled to Spain, where he was recaptured and extradited back to Italy. On April 29, 2009, Italian officials released him from prison on good behaviour.[4][5] In June 2009, however, al-Molqui's attorney told the Associated Press that the Italian authorities had placed his client in a holding cell and were about to deport him to Syria.[6]
Abu Abbas left the jurisdiction of Italy and was convicted in absentia. In 1996, he made an apology for the hijacking and murder, and spoke out in favor of peace talks between Palestinians and Israel; the apology was rejected by the U.S. government and Klinghoffer's family, who insisted he be brought to justice. Abbas was captured in Iraq in 2003 by the U.S. military during its 2003 invasion of Iraq. He died in U.S. custody March 8, 2004.
Ibrahim Fatayer Abdelatif was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment. He served 20 and three more on parole and on July 7, 2008, he was expelled from an illegal immigrant detention center in Rome. He plans to appeal this arguing that he has nowhere else to go since Lebanon will not allow his return as he was born in a refugee camp and is thus not a Lebanese citizen.

The Fifth and "Final" Round of Voting

2009-09-21T15:17:00.011-04:00

Irina Gueorguieva Bokova (Bulgaria) and Farouk Hosny (Egypt) are the two remaining candidates in the election, after a tied vote in the fourth round on 21 September. The fifth and final round is scheduled to take place at 6.30 p.m. on Tuesday 22 September.

According to the New York Times:

If the vote remains tied on Tuesday, the 193-member General Conference will choose a new director general next month, and Mr. Hosny is expected to win in the larger body, where Egypt is thought to have more influence.

Here are some articles following the tie on the 4th round:

Read:

4th Round a Tie, Ferrero-Waldner and Baki Withdrew

2009-09-21T08:21:00.012-04:00

I just heard from three independent trusted sources in Paris that no one had received a majority in the fourth round of voting, and that the selection will go to a fifth round tomorrow. According to the rules, the voting tomorrow will be between the top two on today's vote.

Voting for the UNESCO Director General
Candidate	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4
Farouk Hosny	22	23	25	29
Irina Bokova	8	8	13	29
Benita Ferrero-Waldner	7	9	11	0
Ivonne Baki	7	8	9	0
Ina Marciulionyte	3	4	0	0
Alexander Yakovenko	7	3	0	0
Noureini Tidjani-Serpos	2	2	0	0
Sospeter Muhongo	1	1	0	0
Mohammed Bedjaoui	0	0	0	0
Blank	1	0	0	0
Total	58	58	58	58

Earlier:

I heard a rumor that Ivonne Baki has withdrawn from the election for the new Director General of UNESCO. That would leave the voting among three candidates, Farouk Hosny, Irina Bokova and Mohammed Bedjaoui. The last of these three has not received a single vote in the first three rounds and would appear to be a very dark horse.

Read:

Reports that EU Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner Withdraws from UNESCO Run

2009-09-20T16:09:00.006-04:00

There are several recent media reports that Benita Ferrero-Waldner has withdrawn her candidacy for the post of UNESCO Director General.

That would appear to leave three candidates in the race:

Farouk Hosny
Irina Bokova
Ivonne Baki

Results of the Third Round of Voting

2009-09-19T11:17:00.012-04:00

Voting for UNESCO Director General
Candidate	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3
Farouk Hosny	22	23	25
Irina Bokova	8	8	13
Benita Ferrero-Waldner	7	9	11
Ivonne Baki	7	8	9
Ina Marciulionyte	3	4	0
Alexander Yakovenko	7	3	0
Noureini Tidjani-Serpos	2	2	0
Sospeter Muhongo	1	1	0
Mohammed Bedjaoui	0	0	0
Blank	1	0	0
Total	58	58	58

The fourth round is scheduled for Monday 21 September at 6.30 p.m.

Read:

The Nine Original Candidates

From left to right:

Nouréini TIDJANI-SERPOS (Benin)
Farouk HOSNY (Egypt)
Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (Austria)
Ina MARČIULIONYTĖ (Lithuania)
The Chairman of UNESCO’s Executive Board, Ambassador Olabiyi Babalola Joseph Yaï (Benin)
Ivonne JUEZ de A. BAKI (Ecuador)
Mohammed BEDJAOUI (Algeria)
Irina Gueorguieva BOKOVA (Bulgarie)
Alexander Vladimirovich YAKOVENKO (Russian Federation)
Sospeter Mwijarubi MUHONGO (United Republic of Tanzania)

Results of the second round of voting

2009-09-18T15:09:00.007-04:00

Farouk Hosny 23

Benita Ferrero-Walder 9

Ivonne Baki 8

Irina Bokova 8

Ina Marciulionyte 4

Alexander Yakovenko 3

Noureini Tidjani-Serpos 2

Sospeter Muhongo 1

Mohammed Bedjaoui 0

As compared with the first round, Ferrero-Waldner gained two votes, Farouk Hosny, Ivonne Baki and Ina Marciulionyte gained one vote each, and Alexander Yakovenko dropped four votes. The was one blank ballot on the first round, and none on the second.

I got this information from three independent sources.

Third ballot tomorrow (Saturday) around 3pm Paris time/9am Washington time.

Press coverage of the second round:

More coverage of the election and the candidates

2009-09-17T19:25:00.028-04:00

Starting after the first vote toward the selection of the new Director General of UNESCO I will post links to news articles as I find them. This list extends the previous list which has more than 200 links.

The First Round of Voting

2009-09-17T16:48:00.019-04:00

The first round of voting ended a couple of hours ago in Paris. I have had several reports on the totals which are in general agreement/

Farouk Hosny, the Egyptian candidate as expected had most votes, but was far from the majority of 30 needed to be selected.

Irina Bokova (Bulgaria), Alexander Yakovenko (Russia), Ivonne Baki (Ecuador) and Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Austria) were bunched with 7 or 8 votes each.

The remaining candidates (Marciulionyte, Muhongo, Tadjani and Bedjaoui) were far behind.

I understand that there is to be another vote tomorrow.

Recall that the Executive Board has some 60 items on its agenda so the delegates have a great deal to do beside the election of a new Director General.

Remember, that the rules allow the voting to end when any candidate gets a majority on a ballot. If that has not happened by the fourth vote, the voting in the fifth round is limited to the two candidates who received the most votes on the fourth.

Read:

Incidentally, this website has had more than 8,000 visits in less than a month.

The Poll

2009-09-16T09:50:00.002-04:00

Thanks to all the people who took the time to vote in the poll.

I added a poll to this website to allow people to express their opinions on who should be elected Director General of UNESCO. As I write this, there have been 4650 votes recorded, the vast majority for Ina Marciulionyte (4424 votes).

Four other candidates have enough votes to show up on the graph of results: Ivonne Baki (44 votes), Irina Bokova (28 votes), Benita Ferrero-Waldner (42 votes), and Farouk Hosny (42 votes).

In the first days of the poll, Ivonne Baki took the lead. That lead rapidly deteriorated as the Marciulionyte faction started registering votes.

In interpreting this data you have to recognize that one vote does not represent one person, and the domination of Ms. Marciulionyte is almost certainly the result of her supporters mobilizing more effectively to cast votes. The number of "real votes" is quite small. 70 votes were divided among the other three candidates, with none getting as many as 28 votes.

Mohammed Bedjaoui was not included in the poll as it was thought he had withdrawn from the competition when the poll was created.

I suppose the conclusions that can be drawn are that Ina Marciulionyte's supporters are more effective in using the Internet, and perhaps that support in cyberspace for the other candidates is fairly evenly split.

In another unscientific poll, a Egyptian blogger strongly opposed to the candidacy of Farouk Hosny asked her readers whether Farouk Hosny deserved to win the UNESCO Chair. The results as of this writing are 14 yes, 91 no.

Interviews Were Held Today

2009-09-15T15:48:00.005-04:00

Following the rules of the Executive Board of UNESCO, each of the candidates for the post of Director General of UNESCO was interviewed by the Board today. With nine interviews, scheduled for an hour each, it must have been a long day.

After a long debate on Friday and Monday, Mohammed Bedjaoui was included in the interviews. The Algerian, nominated by the Government of Cambodia, had sought to withdraw from the race but his resignation was apparently not accepted. Apparently he made a strong impression on the Board -- not surprisingly due to his impressive career.

The voting is to take place on Thursday, September 17. You may recall that if a candidate does not obtain the majority of votes on any of the first four ballots, then the fifth ballot is to be limited to the top two candidates on the fourth ballot.

We will soon know who will get the nod from the Executive Board, to be recommended to the entire General Conference which meets in October.

While Farouk Hosny, the Egyptian Minister of Culture, continues to claim leadership in the race, others suggest it is still open, with several contenders having a chance for selection.

Read the UNESCO News Service release on the session.

The Election of the UNESCO Director General

2009-07-26T14:00:00.007-04:00

A new Director General is to be elected for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization this year. A total of nine candidatures were received by the Executive Board. They are (in chronological order of reception):

- Ms Ina MARČIULIONYTĖ (Lithuania) Candidature proposed by: Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia

- Mr Mohammed BEDJAOUI (Algeria) Candidature proposed by: Cambodia

- Ms Irina Gueorguieva BOKOVA (Bulgaria) Candidature proposed by: Bulgaria

- Mr Farouk HOSNY (Egypt) Candidature proposed by: Egypt, Kowait, Sudan, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

- Mr Sospeter Mwijarubi MUHONGO (United Republic of Tanzania) Candidature proposed by: United Republic of Tanzania

- Mr Alexander Vladimirovich YAKOVENKO (Russian Federation) Candidature proposed by: Russian Federation

- Ms Ivonne JUEZ de A. BAKI (Ecuador) Candidature proposed by: Ecuador

- Ms Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (Austria) Candidature proposed by: Austria, Colombia

- Mr Nouréini TIDJANI-SERPOS (Benin) Candidature proposed by: Benin

Each candidate is to present a brief document with a vision for the future of UNESCO, and the candidates are to be interviewed by the UNESCO Executive Board in September. The Executive Board is to recommend a candidate to the General Conference, which in turn is to elect the new Director General during its meeting in October.

The rules for the selection of the candidate for the position of Director General to be nominated to the General Conference by the Executive Board (182 EX/INF.9)
The announcement of the candidates from UNESCO with additional information on the election process.
A news item from UNESCO news on the Executive Board meeting.
UN Eleactions: "UNESCO Receives Nine Candidatures for Director-General, Interviews Set for September"
SciDev.Net: "Who Will Be the Next Head of UNESCO" by Yojana Sharma
SciDev.Net: "Last-Minute Candidates Vie for UNESCO's Top Posts" by Yojana Sharma
Deutscher KulturRAT: "UNESCO – more than just culture, but less than just politics" by Andreas Westerwinter
UNESCO in the Spotlight: "Editorial: Electing a New Director General for UNESCO" by John Daly
UNESCO in the Spotlight: "Thoughts About Choosing a New Director General for UNESCO" by John Daly
TerraViva United Nations: "UNESCO Race Wide Open" by Alecia D. McKenzie
"Why UNESCO is not going to get the leadership it needs" by John Daly

Here are some articles reporting on prior elections:

The Deccan Chronicle: "Chequebook Diplomacy" by Thalif Deen
Taqaza: "The hypocracy of it all" by Kamran Shafi
The New York Times: "Campaigning for a Top Job at UNESCO" by Barbara Corssette
The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka): "Day of Cheque Book Diplomacy in Paris" annonymous editorial
The Don-A Ilbo (South Korea): "How Japanese Diplomats Got Appointed to Top Int'l Posts" annonymous
The Guardian: UNESCO's "New Head Vows to End Corruption"
Le Monde: "Le Japonais Koichiro Matsuura va succéder à Federico Mayor à la tête de l'Unesco"
The New York Times: "UNESCO Director Withdraws Bid for Reelection"
Al Ahram Weekly: "New departures for UNESCO?"
U.N. Wire: "Battle For Top Job Goes Public"
Save UNESCO: "UNESCO's Director Generals: A History of Boldness"
Asian Tribune: "The Battle for the Top Job at UNESCO"
Asian Tribune: "A Post Mortem on UNESCO Director General Election"

Prior to the formal nominations by the representatives of member nations of UNESCO, there was a process in which various individuals were identified as potential candidates. Several individuals from Arab nations were floated as possible candidates, but eventually withdrawn in favor of Farouk Hosny. There was a considerable controversy in Brazil about two possible Brazilian candidates, neither of whom were finally nominated.

A note on this website:

This website seeks to make a broad body of information on the election and candidates available to all interested parties. I neither seek nor will I accept financial contributions from any source for its content or upkeep. The website is made possible by the free, public services of Blogger, Google, Google translate and Google alerts. Thanks to those who have suggested published reports that might be of interest to its readers. John Daly

Criteria for Evaluation of Candidates for the Post of Director General of UNESCO

2009-07-26T13:00:00.002-04:00

The candidates for the post of Director General should be judged on how well qualified they are to carry out the functions of their important post. It is often useful to define a set of explicit criteria against which those qualifications may be judged. This posting is an attempt to define such criteria. It is assumed without stating that all the candidates nominated by member states are persons of high moral character, physically fit to carry out the arduous duties of the Office.

In its letter to the member states inviting nominations for the Post of Director General, the Executive Board wrote the following:

In facing the challenges of the new millennium, it is important to highlight the personal qualities required for the UNESCO Director-General. The point of departure is that the General Conference, in the interests of all Member States, should appoint the best person for the post who should have the following qualities:
leadership and proven administrative and management skills;
a strong commitment to all the objectives of the Organization;
a visionary and active approach to the role of UNESCO in the community of nations;
good knowledge of the United Nations system;
commitment to the highest moral and ethical standards;
strong communication skills so as to develop effective internal and external communication strategies, vision and objectives for the Organization;
empathy and sensitivity to civil society as an important UNESCO constituency by utilizing, as appropriate, the existing structures and in particular the National Commissions for UNESCO."

(Tony Fleming, in his report titled "Improving Global Leadership Selection" has summarized the criteria used by other agencies of the United Nations system.)

While I do not disagree with the general criteria identified by the Board, it seems to me that more specificity might be useful. Here is a complementary list of criteria that might be considered:

General Criteria

Demonstrated effective action for the promotion of peace.

Demonstrated effective action for the promotion and conduct of dialog among diverse cultural groups.

Skills in international diplomacy.

Demonstrated effective action in assisting in social and economic development in an international context.

Organizational Skills

Ability to manage and reform a large complex intergovernmental organization, demonstrated by education and experience.

Ability to interface with and motivate global networks of individuals and organizations, especially the educational, scientific, cultural and other intellectual networks working with UNESCO.

Sectoral Leadership and Management

Education: A strong background in educational management, as might be demonstrated by background as a minister of education or president of a university.

Natural and Social Sciences: A strong background in scientific administration, such as might be demonstrated by background as a minister of science, energy or environment, or direction of a scientific organization such as a research center.

Culture: A strong background in management of cultural institutions, such as might be demonstrated by background as a minister of culture or direction of a cultural organization such as a firm in a cultural industry or a development assistance organization focusing on culture and development.

Communications and Information: A strong background in management of institutions in this field, such as direction of a national library, major newspaper, or media network, or minister of communications and information.

Personal

The Director General should be a public intellectual, capable of obtaining and holding the respect of the international intellectual community.

The Director General should understand broad global social and economic processes that are affecting demands for an on educational, scientific, cultural and communications and information systems.

Of course, no individual is likely to score well against all these criteria. Moreover, not all these criteria deserve equal weight in the selection of the Director General. Thus, the core function of UNESCO is to build the defenses of peace in the minds of men, and demonstrated commitment to the promotion of peace would seem to merit great weight in the selection.

The relative importance of the ability to manage UNESCO’s formal organization versus the ability to mobilize the informal networks that UNESCO catalyzes and stakeholder communities that UNESCO serves should be weighed. I would suggest that while bureaucratic management will continue to be important, it is still more important that the next Director General seek to improve the UNESCO’s outreach to this larger community.

Often through the use of such criteria, candidates can be divided into groups such as:

Highly qualified.
Qualified.
Marginally qualified
Unqualified.

Comments and suggestions are welcome!

An assessment of the race for the position of Director General

2009-07-26T12:00:00.005-04:00

Geographic Considerations
It is generally believed that the position of Director General of UNESCO should not be monopolized by any one nation, or indeed by any region. Most previous Directors General have been from Western Europe or the United States, with one Asian, one Latin American and one African. There is also an unwritten agreement that the top positions within the United Nations system should be distributed among many nations.

It should be noted that UNESCO divides member nations into five groups, each of which chooses a specified number of members of the Executive Board. (Click here to see a report with the current members by group.) Active nominees according to this grouping are:

Group 1: one nominee (Benita FERRERO-WALDNER, Austria; 6 previous Directors General),
Group 2: three nominees (Irina Gueorguieva BOKOVA. Bulgaria; Ina MARČIULIONYTĖ, Lithuania and Alexander Vladimirovich YAKOVENKO, the Russian Federationl; no previous Directors General)
Group 3: one nominee (Ivonne JUEZ de A. BAKI, Ecuador: one previous Director General)
Group 4: no nominees (the current Director General)
Gruop 5: three nominees (Nouréini TIDJANI-SERPOS, Benin; Farouk HOSNY. Egypt and Sospeter Mwijarubi MUHONGO , Tanzania; one previous Director General)

The voting for Director General is by secret ballot on the basis of one vote per member nation. Developing nations hold the vast majority of the votes. It was thought early in the process of selection that a citizen of an Arab or Islamic nation might have an advantage in this UNESCO election.

The final decision in fact depends on the qualities of the individual candidates and the support that the sponsoring nations are willing to give each candidate.

The Candidates
Nine candidates were formally nominated prior to the deadline. Four are women, and there has never been a woman Director General of UNESCO. Four were from Europe, two from Sub-Saharan Africa, two from North Africa, and one from Latin America.

A number of individuals from Arab nations were reported to be seeking nomination and support for their candidacy, but at last Farouk Hosny was nominated. Mohammed Bedjaoui of Algeria was nominated by Cambodia, but (reportedly under heavy pressure) has withdrawn his candidacy.

Two Brazilians , UNESCO Deputy Director General Marcio Barbosa and Brazilian Senator Cristovam Buarque were considered for nomination by Brazil, but finally neither was nominated, reportedly due to a decision to support the Egyptian candidate.

The Permanent Representatives of Bulgaria (Irina Bokova) and Lithuania (Ina Marctulionyte) were nominated as had been expected, and have been actively campaigning for the position. Assistant Director General for African Programs, Nouréini Tidjani-Serpos was the only member of the Secretariate to receive a formal nomination, that of his country Benin.

There were four nominations that had not been widely expected, Benita Ferrero-Waldner (an Austrian, and the Commissioner for External Relations of the EC), Alexander Vladimirovich Yajivenko (the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation), Ivonne Baki (an Ecuadorian, and the President of the Andean Parliament), and Sospeter Muhongo (a Tanzanian, and Regional Director for Africa of the International Council for Science).

The Campaigns

The only votes that count are those of the representatives of the member states in the governing bodies, and these are usually determined by instructions from their governments. Therefore perhaps the most important aspect of campaigning is done in negotiations between governments, and those negotiations are normally done in secret. In this election, however, there have been a number of news stories that open the process somewhat. Thus we can read the agendas of bi-national diplomatic discussions that include requests for support of a national candidate among other topics. The negotiations between the Egyptian government and those of Israel and France have been the subject of speculation in the press. Russia came up with a unique campaign tactic, offering publicly to increase its contribution to UNESCO from $12 million to $20 million per year if its candidate is chosen.

Candidates themselves have been actively seeking the office by a variety of means. Several attended major meetings supported by UNESCO (World Conference on Higher Education, meeting of the World Heritage Committee). Hospitality suites have been set up in these fora in which candidates can meet permanent representatives to UNESCO from other nations. Several have travelled to meet government officials in key nations. Most have established websites and given interviews with the press discussing their candidacy. Vision statements from most of the candidates have been made available to the public.

There has been quite a bit of press coverage of the election. When Koichiro Matsuura was elected the first time, the Internet was much less developed than it is today. As a result, this year there is much more opportunity for private citizens to be informed about the election and even to express support or opposition to candidates.

The candidacy of Farouk Hosny has proven to be especially controversial, raising vocal opposition from a number of groups, and serious lobbying against his election by a number of member states, as well as strong support from his partisans.. His early lead in the race is reported to have deteriorated. However, he appears to have continued strong support from his government. The government of Israel had at one time opposed his candidacy, but withdrew that opposition. The government of France was at one time announced to be in support of Hosny, but more recently announced that it was not supporting a specific candidate.

Rumors suggest that:

the two African candidates have weakened support for the Egyptian candidate among African nations;
the support from the Islamic nations for the Egyptian candidate is not as solid as had once been believed.
the European nations may be seeking a process by which they can all support a single European candidate.

The Selection Process

The 58 members of the Executive Board will have the opportunity to review the qualification statements for the candidates submitted by their governments, to read the vision statements they themselves have submitted (probably often with the help of their government's UNESCO representatives), and to interview the candidates.

In past elections of new Directors General, the Executive Board did not give a majority to a candidate on the first round of voting, and with eight active candidates it seems quite possible that this time there will be more than one round of voting as well. Thus the process by which members of the Executive Board switch their support from one to another candidate may be important.

The recommendation of the Executive Board is considered likely to be accepted by the General Conference, and Chairman Yai of the Executive Board is likely to play an important role in managing the election process. It is difficult for an outsider to predict in advance which candidate will eventually emerge as the victor. The nomination of a candidate for Director General of UNESCO is one of 62 items on the crowded agenda of this meeting (September 7 - 23, 2009) of the Executive Board.

A good source for news and views on UNESCO and this election is the UNESCO's Friends Group on LinkedIN.

Coverage of the election and candidates

2009-07-26T11:30:00.171-04:00

I recommend Google Translate and/or Babel Fish for online translation of articles from their original language to your language.

This set of links is being updated on a daily basis!

The following list is in order that I found the reference, and is not in chronological order of their publication. The articles I believe to be most influential are in red.

Save UNESCO: Why Farouk Hosni Cannot Become the UNESCO's Next Director General is a blog operated by some French students which posts information on UNESCO and the race for Director General. Omar Massalha, a representative of the committee to support Farouk Hosny has asked that I post also a link to their blog: Yes4FaroukHosny.

The Facebook site for "Egyptians Against Nominating Farouk Hosny for UNESCO" has a number of links to articles in Arabic. If you do not read Arabic, I suggest that you can get a rough translation online using Google translate.

I can not post titles in Arabic but here are links to some articles relevent to the election of the new UNESCO Director General in that language:

There are other news articles on these candidates which I have not been posting as they are not specifically related to UNESCO nor the election campaign. This is especially true of Benita Ferrero-Waldner whose duties as EU Commissioner result in a great deal of media coverage. There are also unposted articles discussing Egyptian cultural matters naming Farouk Hosny in his role as Minister of Culture. I have difficulty following the literature posted in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Biographical Information for Ivonne Baki

2009-07-26T11:00:00.001-04:00

Personal Data

Name: Leila Ivonne Juez de Baki
Marital status: Married. Spouse: Sami Abd-El Baki
Place of residence: Quito

Studies

1993 Doctorate in Public Administration. School Government John F. Kennedy - Harvard University (Editor's note: This seems to be an error as her website lists a Masters degreee in public administration.)
1992 Master in Public Policy, School of Government John F. Kennedy - Harvard University
1982 Master of Art University La Sorbonne in Paris (Editor's note: The candidates website does not list the degree.)
1979 Architectural Studies at the University of Beirut

Positions

2007 President of the Andean Parliament
Andean Parliamentary since 2006; Elected for a period of four years
2003-2005 Minister of Trade Industry, Fisheries and Competitiveness
2003-2004 President of the Commission of the Andean Community of Nations
1998-2002 Ambassador of Ecuador to the United States of America
1984-1990 Honorary Counsel of Ecuador in Lebanon
1992-1998 Honorary Counsel of Ecuador in Boston, MA
1998 Adviser to the President of Ecuador in the negotiations culminated in the signing of peace treaty with Peru
1995 Member of the Foundation "Without Borders"; Dedicated to help depressed areas of the province of Esmeraldas
1994-1996 Member of the Board of Directors of "Conflict Management Group ", a nonprofit organization dedicated to conflict resolution and the promotion of peace in many regions of the World, led by Professor Roger Fisher.

Decorations and Awards

"It merits of Excellence l'Européene"
Order of the Cedar of Lebanon
National Order of Merit of Ecuador
Decoration Resident Artist at Harvard University.
Award 1992 "Art for Peace", Princeton University
Honorato Vasquez Prize 1992, awarded by the Government of Ecuador.
The 1998 Order of The House of Representatives United States of America.
Designated 1999's "The five most powerful women Washington, "Embassy of Ecuador
"Excellency in Leadership Award" of the Economic International Order of Merit of Lebanon
The U.S. Women in Leadership Award
The Global Citizen Award. Patel Foundation
The Humanitarian Rose Award. Princess of Wales Foundation

Publications

"Forces of Change: Artists of the Arab World"
"A Life of Art: Searching for Peace"

Check out:

Ivonne Baki's personal website
Her Twitter account
Her profile by Larry Luxner in Saudi Aramco World (2000)
"A Woman's Touch for UNESCO" by Claude Salhani, Middle East Times (article on Ivonne Baki's qualifications for the position)
"Candidate A-Baki Envisions UNESCO as 'Institution of Ideas"" Rolf Rosenkranz, Devex News (article on the candidate and her chances)
"Art of the Possible," The Washington Times (article on Ivonne Baki and her campaign.
"Ivonne Baki Recibe en Paris el Premio America", El Universo, August 25, 2009.
Her article "Where Poverty and Culture Intersect: Embracing Local Traditions to Better Fight Poverty" in The Huffington Post.
Her article "Women Building a Culture of Peace" in the Imagine Peace archives
An online gallery exhibit of Ivonne Baki's paintings

Short Video (Spanish): Homenaje a la Dra. Ivonne Baki

Biographical Information for Irina Gueorguieva Bokova

2009-07-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

Irina GEORGIEVA BOKOVA (ИРИНА ГЕОРГИЕВА БОКОВА)
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to France and to the Principality of Monaco; Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Bulgaria to UNESCO

Born: 12 July, 1952

Nationality: Bulgarian

Civil status: Married, two children

CIVIL SOCIETY POSITIONS

Feb. 1997 – June 2005 Founder and Chairperson of the European Policy Forum
1997-1998 Member of the Working Group on Enlargement with the Robert Schuman Institute of European Studies in Florence, Italy, addressing the geo-political implications of enlargement.
1997 – 2005 Key-note speaker or invitee to a number of conferences, organized inter alia by the Robert Schuman Institute of European Studies in Florence, Italy, Wilton Park Conferences, UK, Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Belgium, College of Europe, Brugge, Belgium, Open Society Foundation, The US Institute of Peace, The Bertelsmann Foundation, Germany, George Marshall Fund, US.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Feb. 1997 – Sept. 1997 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office of the Minister, Adviser to the Minister (with rank of Ambassador)
Nov. 1996 – Feb. 1997 Minister of Foreign Affairs
June 1995 – Feb. 1997 State Secretary on European Integration, First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of UN, OSCE, EU and NATO, Chief co-ordinator of Bulgaria–EU relations. Co-Chairperson, Bulgaria – EU Association Committee, National PHARE Coordinator, Chairperson, Inter-Agency Co-ordination Commission on European Integration (at deputy ministerial level), Took part as head of delegation or keynote speaker in a number of international fora, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Centre for European Studies
September 1995 Deputy head of the Delegation of Bulgaria to the Fourth World Conference on Women “Action for Equality, Development and Peace” (Beijing, China)
Oct. 1991- March 1992 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sofia, European Security Department, First Secretary
June 1990 – Oct. 1991 Member of the Constituent National Assembly, Took part in the drafting of the new Bulgarian Constitution, Head of the delegation of the Bulgarian Parliament to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Member of the Foreign Policy Committee and the Human Rights Committee, Initiated the first parliamentary seminar on the European Declaration on Human Rights
Aug. 1986 – Jan. 1990 Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sofia, Adviser to the Minister (with the rank of First Secretary)
Jan. 1984 – Sept. 1986 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UN DepartmentThird and Second Secretary, Member of the Bulgarian delegation as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (1986-87).
Sept. 1982 – Jan. 1984 Permanent Mission of Bulgaria to the UN, New York, Third Secretary In charge of political and juridical affairs
Jan. 1977 – Sept. 1982 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sofia, Attaché and Third Secretary In charge of political and human rights issues

EDUCATION

1971 Secondary English Language School, Sofia
1976 Moscow State Institute of International Relations, MBA in international relation
Jan. – Aug. 1989 USA University of Maryland, School of Public Affairs, Washington, Ford Foundation fellow, Programme on the US foreign policy decision-making proces
Sept. 1992 – Dec. 1994 NATO fellow, Programme for Central and Eastern Europe on democratic institutions focusing on the national and legal mechanism for the protection of minorities
Nov. – Dec. 1999 Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Programme in Leadership and Economic Development

LANGUAGES

English – fluent
Russian – fluent
Spanish – fluent
French – fluent

MAIN PUBLICATIONS

Bulgaria and Ethnic Tensions in the Balkans, Mediterranean Quarterly, January 1991
Monitoring Bulgaria’s Accession to the European Union, European Policy Forum, Annual publications 1999, 2000, 2001
Integration of South-Eastern Europe into the European Mainstream, Journal of South East and Black Sea Studies, October 2000
Einbahnstrasse EU-Erweiterung, Schüren Verlag, Marburg, Germany, September 2001
Numerous articles on foreign policy and European integration issues.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Biographical Information for Benita Ferrero-Waldner

2009-07-26T09:00:00.001-04:00

Benita Ferrero-Waldner has been nominated by Austria as a candidate for the post of Director General of UNESCO. Here are some facts about her:

Born on 5 September, 1948 in Salzburg, Austria - married to Professor Francisco Ferrero Campos

November 2004

Member of the European Commission in charge of External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy

February 2000 - November 2004

Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria

4 May 1995 - 3 February 2000

State Secretary for Foreign Affairs

1993 - 1995

UN Chief of Protocol

February 1993 - December 1993

Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs Deputy Chief of Protocol

July 1990 - February 1993

Austrian Embassy, Paris
First Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission,
Chargé d'Affairs a.i.

May 1987 - July 1990

Austrian Embassy, Paris
Counsellor for Economic Affairs

June 1986 - May 1987 Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Department for Development Co-operation

January - June 1986

Austrian Embassy, Dakar, Senegal
First Secretary

September 1984 - January 1986

Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Department of Economic Affairs; Department of Political Affairs;
Department of Consular Affairs;

1 January 1984

Austrian Embassy, Madrid
Special Consultancy

1981 - 1983

Gerns and Gahler, Freilassing/Germany
Chief Management Assistant

1978 - 1981

P. Kaufmann Inc., New York
Sales Director for Europe

1971 - 1978

Paul Kiefel, Freilassing/Germany (1971-72), Export Department
Gerns and Gahler, Freilassing/Germany
Director for Export Promotion

1966 - 1970 University of Salzburg, study of law (Dr iuris)

Check out:

Benita Ferrero-Waldner's questionnaire responses when seeking her current EU position
Her entry on Wikipedia
Her profile on the EC website
The Benita Ferrero-Waldner for UNESCO Facebook site
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, la 'LIonne Souriante"
"UNESCO: A New Vision for the 21st Century" by Dr. Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
"UNESCO: Powerhouse of Cultural Dialogue" by Dr. Benita Ferrero-Waldner
A talk she presented in 2006 titled "Intercultural dialogue: the media’s role"
Interview by EuroNews (video, 2007)
"Empowering Women, Ensuring Stability," video for a conference in 2008 organized by Benita Ferrero-Waldner)

A Video of a Presentation by Benita Ferrero-Waldner (in English)

Biographical Information for Farouk Hosny

2009-07-26T08:00:00.004-04:00

Present Position: Minister of Culture, Arab Republic of Egypt (1987-present)

Date and Place of Birth: 1938 , Alexandria

Academic Qualification: BA; Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Alexandria, 1964

Experience

Cultural Animator in the General Department of Fine Arts, Ministry of Culture (1964-1969)
Director, Anfoushy Cultural Palace, Alexandria (1969-1971)
Cultural Attaché and Director of the Egyptian Cultural Centre , Paris, France (1971-1978)
Director of Cultural Administration and Director, Children's Cultural Centre, Cairo, and Technical Advisor to the Minister of Culture (1978-1979)
Deputy Director, Egyptian Arts Academy, Rome (1979-1982)
Director, Egyptian Art Academy and Cultural Counselor, Egyptian Embassy, Rome (1982-1987), after which he was appointed to the post of Minister of Culture till of Egypt which he still assumes
Part-time Professor of Aesthetics at the University of Soka Gakkai, Japan, where he was offered on honorary Ph.D. in 1993
Part-time Professor in the Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria University since 1999 till to-date

Prizes, Awards and Accreditation Merits

Prize, Cagne-sur-mer Festival, France
Honorary Ph.D., Soka Gakkai University, Japan, 1993
Culture and Peace Award, Soka Gakkai University, Japan, 1993
Grand Official Award, Government of Italy, 1999
Mediterranean Arts Award of the Lazio region for 2005
Mediterranean Sea Award of Arts for 2006
Grand Audio-Visual Award, International Council of Films, Television and Audio-Visuals, UNESCO Paris, July 2007
Grand Audio-Visual Award, International Council of Films, Television and Audio-Visuals, UNESCO Paris, July 2007
Mediterranean Forum Peace Award, Lecce, Italy, 2008

Other Positions and Responsibilities

Chairman, Supreme Council of Antiquities, Egypt
Chairman, Supreme Council of Culture, Egypt
Member of the Board of Trustees, Bibliotheca Alexandria
Member, International Committee, Qatar Museums Board
Member, Plastic Artists Union, Egypt
Member, Alexandria Atelier Group for Artists and Writers

Hobbies: Music – Theatre – Archaeology

Languages:

Arabic - very good
French - very good
Italian - very good
English - fair

Check out these websites:

Farouk Hosny's website
His Wikipedia entry
Facebook: Links on "Farouk Hosny"
Facebook: Biography of Farouk Hosny
"Farouk Hosni: Politics of Temperment," Interview by Nevine El-Aref, Al Ahram, September 2005.
Exhibit of his paintings at the Zamelek Gallery (2003-2004)
Farouk Hosni presents his strategy for UNESCO

Biographical Information for Ina Marčiulionytė

2009-07-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Lithuania to UNESCO since January 2003

Recent Career

Vice Minister (Regions and Cultural Heritage), Ministry of Culture, Republic of Lithuania 1999-2003
Director of the Cultural Programme and Director of the Open Society Fund House, Open Society Fund Lithuania (OSFL) 1992-1999
Editor, “Gimtoji Kalba” Lithuanian language policy magazine 1988-1991
Correspondent, Deputy Editor, Šalčininkai regional newspaper 1986-1988

Responsibilities at UNESCO

Since 2007 Vice-President of the Executive Board
Since 2005 Member of the Executive Board
2004-2007 Member of the World Heritage Committee
2006, 2007- Rapporteur, Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation
2007 Chair, Credentials committee of the 34th UNESCO General Conference
2007 Chair, Headquarters Committee
2005-2006 Chair of the World Heritage Committee
2005, 2006 Chair of the Working group on the working methods of the World Heritage Committee
2004-2005 Vice-Chair of three intergovernmental expert meetings for the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

Education

2004-2005 PhD course in international relations and diplomacy at the Centre d’Etudes Diplomatiques et Stratégiques, Paris
1981-1986 University of Vilnius. Major in Lithuanian language and literature, specialising in translation from English

Professional Studies

1997 Cultural Management, Belgrade
1998 Professional Communication, Budapest
1998 Leadership and Management, Budapest

Languages: Lithuanian, English, Russian, French

Publications: Several translated books and a number of published articles in the national and international press on arts and culture, cultural policy and heritage.

Teaching experience: Lithuanian language courses for Russian speaking professionals. Created and conducted summer courses for foreign writers and translators of Lithuanian literature.

Honours

Cross of Commander of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas

Useful additional sources of information:

Biographical Information for Sospeter Muhongo

2009-07-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

Sospeter Muhongo has been nominated by Tanzania as a candidate for the post of Director General of UNESCO. Here is some biographical information about him:

He was born in Musoma town, Tanzania on 25.06.1954. He is married to Bertha, has a son Rukonge, and is guardian to three orphans.

He is currently based in Pretoria, South Africa, where he is the first and founding Regional Director of the International Council for Science Regional Office for Africa. Among other positions held, he is Chair of the Science Program Committee of the UN-proclaimed International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE), Vice President of the Commission of the Geological Map of the World, Immediate Past Chair of the UNESCO/IUGS/IGCP Scientific Board and member of the Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA) Science and Technology Advisory Group. He has been recently elected to Chair the Steering Committee of the EU-funded project, “African-European Georesources Observation System (AEGOS).”

Prof Muhongo is co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of African Earth Sciences (Elsevier), Associate Editor of the Precambrian Research Journal (Elsevier) and is also co-Editor of a book (2009, in press) entitled “Science, Technology and Innovation for Socio-Economic Development: Success Stories from Africa.”

He was Head of the Department of Geology at the University of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania from 1997 to 2000 and is currently Honorary Professor of Geology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. In the 1990s he was instrumental in raising the profile of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) and served as its President from 1995 to 2001. He was the first recipient (2004) of the Society’s Robert Shackleton Award for Outstanding Research on the Precambrian Geology of Africa and he was awarded Fellowship of the Society in 1998.

In 2006, Prof. Muhongo was presented with the National Award for Outstanding Research in Science and Technology (S&T) in Tanzania, and in 2007 The Geological Society of South Africa conferred upon him its “Honours Award”, for his contributions to the Earth Science profession.

Prof Muhongo has undertaken more than 100 contract scientific research projects and has rendered consultancy services in the mineral industry and on environmental issues and policy matters.

He graduated with a BSc Honours Degree in Geology from the University of Dar Es Salaam in 1979 where he founded and chaired the Geological Association of Students (1977). He then undertook postgraduate studies in Germany between 1980 and 1990 at the University of Göttingen (MSc research), and at the Technical University of Berlin (Dr.rer.nat.). He was awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Prize (1977) and the Gondwana Prize (1979).

Since 1999 Prof Muhongo has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tanzanian State Mining Corporation (STAMICO) and in 2002 was Chairman of the Tanzanian Government Commission of Inquiry into the deadliest tanzanite mine accident.

He is the author or co-author of over 150 scientific articles and technical papers, and has co-authored the publication of the highly acknowledged geological and mineral maps of Africa, East Africa and Tanzania. Prof Muhongo has been invited to give more than 200 keynote speeches at international conferences in Africa, America, Asia and Europe. He has co-organized over 100 international scientific and policy conferences, including those of UNESCO and ICSU in Africa, Asia and Europe.

Read:

Sospeter Muhongo's Resume on the ICSU website (PDF file).
Sospeter Muhongo's Resume from the Geological Society of Africa (PDF file)
"Tanzania Vies for Top UNESCO Job" (Daily News of Tanzania)
"UN candidate decries poor education" (Daily News of Tanzania)
"Tanzanian Candidate Seeks Greater UNESCO Focus on Science" (DEVEX)

Biographical Information for Nouréini Tidjani-Serpos

2009-07-26T05:00:00.002-04:00

Sources: Campus numérique francophone de Cotonou, Wikipedia entry

Biography:

Born in 1946 in Porto-Novo, Benin.

Education: Primary and secondary studies in Porto-Novo. Studied literature in France and obtained a PhD in the subject from the University of Lille III (1987).

ADG Tidjani speaks English, French. Yoruba, Fon, Éwé and Goun and reads Spanish.

Professional Career: On return to the country, he was a French teacher in secondary school then technical adviser on the Culture of Sports for the Minister for State for Education,

For political reasons, he went into exile in 1975, teaching French and African literature at the Université de Benin-City in Nigeria and, on his return from exile, at the National University of Benin in Cotonou. In 1990, he became an adviser on cultural affairs to the Prime Minister then to the President of the Republic of Benin, Nicéphore Soglo.

In 1992, he was named ambassador and permanent representative of Benin to UNESCO. He was elected Chairman of the UNESCO Executive Board in 1996. Since 1998, he has been Assistant Director General of UNESCO for African programs.

He is poet, novelist and literary critic.

Publications:

Maïté (poetry). Cotonou: Imprimerie ABM, 1967.
Agba'Nla (poetry). Paris: P.J. Oswald, 1973.
Le nouveau souffle (poetry). Benin - City: Ambik Press, 1986.
Aspects de la critique africaine (literary criticism). Paris ; Lomé: Editions Silex ; Editions Haho, 1987.
Porto-Novo, un rêve brésilien (poetry) (en collaboration avec Jean Caffé). Paris: Ed. Karthala ; Ed. ASSOCLE, 1993.
Aspects de la critique africaine (Tome 2): l'intellectuel africain face au roman, (literary criticism). Paris: Editions Silex ; Editions Nouvelles du Sud, 1996.
Bamikilé (novel). Paris: Présence Africaine, 1996

Click here to transfer to Nouréini Tidjani-Serpos' website.

You may also review:

Conférence de presse de Nouréini TIDJANI-SERPOS (video)
Nouréini TIDJANI-SERPOS : Sous DG chargé du Département AFRIQUE à l'UNESCO (video)
DÉCODAGES - PORTRAIT : SOUS-DIRECTEUR GENERAL DU DEPARTEMENT AFRIQUE DE L’UNESCO : Nouréini Tidjani-Serpos ou la démocratisation de l’accès au savoir
Nouréini Tidjani-Serpos candidat a la direction générale de l’Unesco : « De tous, je suis celui qui est immédiatement opérationnel »
Allocution de Noureini Tidjani-Serpos à l'occasion de la visite de Yasser Arafat

Sipoef 2008 discours Noureini Tidjani-Serpos IFrency)

Biographical Information for Alexander Vladimirovich Yakovenko

2009-07-26T04:00:00.000-04:00

Alexander Vladimirovich Yakovenko (Алекса́ндр Влади́мирович Якове́нко) is Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in charge of multilateral diplomacy (UN, UNESCO and other international organizations, economic and humanitarian cooperation, human rights, environmental cooperation, climate change, education, culture and sport issues)

Date of birth: 21 October 1954

Place of birth: Gomel, the USSR

Family: Married. Has a daughter

Education: Graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1976. Holds a Doctor of Law.

Languages: Russian, English and French

Dr. Alexander V.Yakovenko has the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. He began his diplomatic career in 1976 and has occupied various positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, including the Department of International Organizations, the Permanent Mission of the USSR to the United Nations in New York, the Foreign Policy Planning Department, the Department of International Scientific and Technical Cooperation, the Department of Security and Disarmament, the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to International Organizations in Vienna, and the Information and Press Department.

He has participated in numerous sessions of the UN Security Council and General Assembly, the UNESCO General Conference, various OSCE forums, negotiations on conventional armed forces in Europe and confidence building measures, the IAEA Board of Governors meetings, the Russian-American Joint Commission on Economic and Technological Cooperation, and the G8 expert meetings. Headed the Russian delegation at the International Space Station negotiations (1993-1998).

Professional:

Since 2005 - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
2000-2005 – Spokesman, Director of the Information and Press Department, MFA
1997-2000 - Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to International Organizations in Vienna
1995-1997 - Deputy Director of the Department of Security and Disarmament, MFA, Russian representative at the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) Governing Board (Moscow)
1993-1995 - Deputy Director of the Department of International Scientific and Technical Cooperation, MFA
1976-1993 - various posts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and abroad

Academic:

Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (Moscow)
Member of the Space Council, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow)
Member of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL, Paris)
Member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA, Paris)

Publications:

Author of several books and a manual on international law. More than 100 publications on international relations and Russian foreign policy, science, education and cultural issues.

Read:

Candidates' Vision Statements

2009-07-26T03:30:00.013-04:00

I have been able to find vision statements of seven candidates. Here in alphabetical order are links to the ones I have found:

Ivonne A-Baki
Irina Bokova
Benita Ferrero-Waldner (published in the Jamaica Gleaner)
Farouk Hosny (see also "Farouk Hosni presents his strategy for UNESCO"
Ina Marčiulionytė
Sospeter M Muhongo
Nouréini Tidjani-Serpos

I suggest that while the vision statements must be considered to be authorized by the candidates, they may well be the products of collaboration, especially collaboration between the candidate and the representatives of his/her country to UNESCO.)

Vision Statement for Sospeter Muhongo

2009-07-16T09:30:00.005-04:00

A VISION FOR UNESCO FOR THE 21st CENTURY

By Prof Sospeter M Muhongo, UNESCO DG Candidate,

Visionary Leadership – Excellent Management Skills – Transparency – Innovation – Efficiency - High Impact Delivery

[Prof Sospeter Muhongo, 55, Tanzania, is the only candidate for the position of UNESCO DG capable of invigorating the UNESCO agenda of "science for the socio-economic benefit of the global society", and who is mindful of the political diversity of its membership.]

Preamble on UNESCO

The Preamble to the Constitution of UNESCO declares that “since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.” In order that a unanimous, lasting and genuine peace may be secured, the Preamble declares that the States party to the Constitution believed “in full and equal opportunities for education for all, in the unrestricted pursuit of objective truth and in the free exchange of ideas and knowledge.”

UNESCO's purpose as a member of the UN family of organizations is "to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among the nations through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations."

Objectives of UNESCO in the 21 century

UNESCO was founded in 1945 and it is duty-bound to fulfill its mandate to the satisfaction of its membership. The ultimate goal of the UNESCO’s mandate is geared towards attaining sustainable socio-economic benefit for the global society in a safe, secure and peaceful living environment. Consequently, the following objectives are of paramount importance for the UNESCO of the 21st Century:

Quality Education at all levels (tackling illiteracy and gender inequality)
Quality Science Education and Research at all levels (science and society)
Quality Science for Advancement of Technology and catalyst of Innovation (science for economic prosperity)
The Science of Climate Change and Adaptation
Culture for Sustainable Development
Information and Communication for Sustainable International Cooperation
Education, Science, Culture, Information and Communication for promotion and sustenance of world peace and security

Quality Education for All

One of the most important deliverables of UNESCO to its membership is the generation of ideas and knowledge for socio-economic development. However, quality of education is on the decline at all levels (i.e. primary, secondary, tertiary and public education) in many nations around the world. Illiteracy and gender inequality in education are still thriving in the developing world. The number of well-trained and competent teachers and tertiary instructors (e.g. university lecturers) are on the decline. There remains a marginalized gender (i.e. female) in education and science. Availability of adequate and functioning educational and scientific infrastructure remains a challenge to many nations around the world. The digital divide between nations is still in existence.

UNESCO has a key role to play in reversing these negative trends and for meeting the expectations of its membership. It has to coordinate efforts leading to availability of e-learning and training facilities, establishment of digital libraries for open source access. It has to promote and facilitate the availability of educational curricula that emphasize science and technology education; enhancing curiosity, creativity and problem-solving learning. In other words, UNESCO has to facilitate the improvement of quality of teaching and of learning, and of coherence of national education systems and national R&D policies. Educational exchange programmes within UNESCO’s membership must be strengthened.

Physical education in schools and colleges is neglected in many nations. However, it is well recognized that physical education promotes friendship and competitive attitudes at all ages. Civics and religious classes should be incorporated in educational curricula for the purpose of promoting good citizenship, peace, safety and security of all nations. UNESCO has to work on the linkage between education, science, technology and society. Areas of focus should include: enhancement of scientific literacy for all, mainstreaming female and youth into the Organization’s activities, sustainability of new technologies and concomitant innovations, socio-economic development perspectives, improved policy responsiveness and ethics in science and technology. The expected deliverables in UNESCO’s Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2015) have to be evaluated on a yearly basis across its membership. Quality higher education has to be closely linked to R&D and innovation systems for the benefit of all. It is recognized today that quality education and quality science and technology underpin all eight UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Consequently, UNESCO has a key role to play in their realization.

Science in Service of Society
The societal problems and challenges of today require the application of science and technology more than ever before. Science provides the critical underpinning for innovation and technological development. It provides necessary, although not sufficient, input to ensure sustainable socio-economic development of all communities around the world. However, the quality of scientific research is on the decline in many nations. The number of skilled and qualified innovative scientists, engineers, technologists and science policy-makers of many nations is also on the decline. It is estimated that Africa has less than one scientist/engineer per 10,000 of her inhabitants whereas Asia and Europe have 2-5 per 10,000 inhabitants. In 2008, Africa accounted for 1.4% of articles published in learned journals. This implies that much of Africa’s economy is not knowledge-driven. This is an S&T reality characterizing most of the poor countries of the world.

UNESCO has to fulfill its mandate by promoting and facilitating the production of critical masses of skilled and knowledgeable human resource for its member states, and inspire new generations of scientists, engineers and technologists. It has to assist some of its member states to work on modern and appropriate educational and training curricula and give evidence-based advice on the sustenance of flourishing national innovation systems. It is estimated that the world’s population was 14 million in 3000 BC, 100 million in 500 BC and it will be approximately 10 billion in 2050. The sustainable livelihood of the current and the future world’s population will rely heavily on science, technology and innovation (STI) and hence the following fields of science will be of greatest importance to humanity in the next 50-100 years:
The Science of Climate Change and Adaptation
Agricultural Technologies and Industries (e.g. Seed Research and Development)
Life and Health Sciences
Earth System Science (e.g. environment, resources - water and minerals)
Energy Resources (e.g. renewable energies and coal)
Space Sciences and Technologies
Nano-sciences and technologies, and biotechnologies belong to the modern S&T tools to support research in these leading fields, e.g. research activities on food and nutrition, healthcare and energy resources. If used for peaceful purposes, these science fields will guarantee the world’s population the availability of alternative sources of sustainable and affordable energy, food and nutrition security, clean and safe drinking water, sustainable healthcare and well-being, better mitigation of hazards and disasters, and sound protection of the environment, ecosystems and biodiversity.

Crucially, too, UNESCO should greatly enhance the role and relevance of the social sciences, especially in areas such as “quality of life”, “sustainability”, “mitigation and adaptation”, as these are strongly related to the areas detailed above. Rural decline, immigration and rapid urbanization are major areas of concern, particularly in the developing world and should, therefore, enjoy equal status of attention within UNESCO. Some of the fields mentioned above do not constitute the mandate of UNESCO directly hence, collaboration with other UN-agencies, member states, the private sector, NGOs and cognate professional bodies is obligatory. By engaging itself in the society-relevant science agenda, UNESCO will act as a catalyst for an accelerated shared economic growth leading to poverty reduction in the world. It will be one of the international bodies fighting financial meltdowns through sound STI that supports the prosperity of robust and predictable economies. UNESCO also has to promote the sustainable utilization of earth resources for all generations Excellence in STI should be closely linked to the policy-and decision-making processes. Science provides a vital base for rational and prudent policy formulation (pro-people oriented policies) and informed decision making. This is one of the most important salient features of socio-economic prosperity for any nation. Consequently, UNESCO is duty-bound to promote this developmental paradigm by supporting its member states to put STI in service of their respective citizenry, including the utilization of STI for good governance and democracy. Here, too, the involvement of the social sciences is of paramount importance. Since education, science, culture and ICT cut across all sectors of the entire UN family; UNESCO has to play a servicing, supporting and/or complementary role to other UN bodies in the fulfillment of their respective mandates.

The Science of Climate Change and Adaptation
Since the pre-Industrial Era (~ 1750), green house gases (GHS) accumulations due to human activities have increased tremendously, e.g. CO2 by 30%, CH4 by over 100%, N2O by 15%; and these concentrations are higher now than at any time during the last 420,000 years. It is estimated that 20-30% of plant and animal species have an increased risk of extinction with projected global average temperature rise exceeding 1.5 – 2.5°C. Hence, climate change is a translational issue and is of great concern to all nations. UNESCO, being the custodian of science within the UN family, has a fundamental role to play in issues pertaining to global environmental change, including climate change and adaptation. Protection of carbon sinks, such as natural ecosystems that absorb a substantial amount of the carbon produced daily is essential. UNESCO has to partner with national, regional, international professional scientific bodies and inter-governmental bodies (e.g. UNEP, WMO, UNCCD and IPCC) in promoting and facilitating quality research activities in this domain, i.e. climate change and its consequences.

The consequences of global warming call for scientific investigations through international cooperation in the following topics: changes in ambient temperature, rainfall patterns (and its impact on floods and droughts), air, water and soil pollution, water resources and sanitation, ocean basins and coastlines (e.g. sea-level changes and ocean acidification), land degradation, biodiversity loss, health problems (e.g. infectious diseases), resilience for renewable energies and for food systems.

UNESCO has to promote and facilitate collaborative multi-disciplinary research programmes on the above subjects. It has also to disseminate quality knowledge, quality data and skills to its membership for mitigating and adapting to the consequences of climate change. Capacity building in the developing world in this domain is a necessary initiative. UNESCO has to be involved in establishing and maintaining well-functioning Earth Observation Systems, especially in the developing world.

Sustainable Energy Resources for All
The world is endowed with enormous energy resources. The classical or primary sources of energy are: oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear and hydro-power. Despite this enormous potential of energy resources, almost all countries around the world have repeatedly experienced the volatility of fuel prices. The situation is worse in the developing world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where over 75% of its population has no access to electricity and hence, has resorted to utilization of biomass (fuel wood and charcoal). This has led to immense deforestation and land degradation.

The world’s reserves of fossil fuel are on the decline. Hence, UNESCO should focus on renewable energies for the benefit of its membership. For instance, it is estimated that 1 km2 of desert receives annual solar energy equivalent to 1.5 million barrels of crude oil. Renewable energies include: solar, wind, geothermal, bio-energies, rotting garbage (producing biogas), ocean waves and tides, hydrocarbons on the sea-bed and hydrogen. UNESCO has to focus on those which are less capital intensive. There is a strong linkage between climate change (i.e. global warming) and gases emitted from various industrial, transport, agricultural and other anthropogenic activities. Hence, UNESCO must strengthen research on development and utilization of energy resources to support the climate change agenda of the international community.

UNESCO, using its core competencies and in collaboration with cognate partners, has to work on the science and the technology for sustainable utilization of all types of energy resources, including coal resources (i.e. multiple sources of energy). It has also to promote and facilitate efforts leading to an increase of the world’s population with access to electricity in a sustainable manner.

Through its membership and cognate professional scientific bodies, UNESCO has to promote and facilitate the availability of knowledge and data that stimulate the growth of low carbon industries and green manufacturing (i.e. efficient energy utilization) that ensure quality jobs and businesses.

Culture for Sustainable Development
Cultural diversity is often the hallmark of all nations. In principle, there is no culture that promotes hatred, discrimination, intolerance and killings. Hence, the cultural activities of UNESCO have to aim at promoting peace and security for sustainable development of all peoples and for all nations. It has to engage in activities promoting and strengthening the relationship between science/education and culture for development. Universality of education and science can be of help in the harmonization of the world’s cultural and religious heterogeneities.

Traditional “flagship projects” of UNESCO – World Heritage and Biosphere Reserves (living laboratories) have to be continuously maintained and well-managed for educational, scientific and economic benefits, and for environmental protection. UNESCO has to venture into heritage science and a new type of heritage, e.g. scientific objects (such as geo-parks) of importance to education, science, technology and global environmental change.

Peace and Security of All Nations
The Preamble of the Constitution of UNESCO is clear and sound to the whole of its membership. It is today estimated that 1 billion people around the world go to bed hungry each night. There is increasing insecurity of life and property, while violence related to food scarcity and religious intolerance has become more frequent in recent decades. Other main causes of conflict include poverty and the inequitable distribution of resources, competition for limited resources, denial of basic human rights, break-down in communication and the “culture of war.”

The ingredients for maintenance of peace and safety of any nation include economic prosperity and socioeconomic advancement, inter-cultural dialogue and good channels of communication, the existence of the “culture of peace” (as opposed to the “culture of war”) and assurance to all of the enjoyment of national wealth and exercise of basic human rights.

Using its core competencies, and in collaboration with its partners, UNESCO should utilize STI to facilitate the promotion of responsible use of S&T, good governance, democracy and a culture of peace in the world. STI is a catalyst for sustainable socio-economic development (a major activity in peace-building), a facilitator of intercultural dialogue and communication, and for peace education.

Education, science, culture, information and communication have to promote and sustain peace and security throughout the world. This will be achieved if UNESCO pays much more attention to the promotion of intellectual cooperation and involvement in its activities of the widest possible constituency in its membership. UNESCO should also complement the work on responsible use of science and technology (i.e. dual-use S&T) through international outreach and collaborative programmes.

UNESCO of the 21st Century should possess a high level of political awareness that will permit it to act diplomatically and promote science diplomacy for peaceful relations around the world. Science diplomacy is a modern tool that uses scientific partnerships among nations to address the common challenges and problems facing humanity.

Information and Communication: publications and conferences
Effective and timely communication using all possible modern media is a major requirement for UNESCO. Coherent communication on an informed level with UNESCO’s General Conference, Executive Board, high-level representatives of member states, UNESCO’s National Commissions, other UN-agencies and cognate partners is obligatory.

High quality and attractive publications and reports of the activities of UNESCO should be readily available and produced on time. Newsletters and the Organization’s web pages should be user-friendly. All UNESCO’s publications should aim at increasing its visibility; and provision of knowledge, data and skills to its membership. UNESCO should convene meetings of tangible benefits to its member states, and avoid being seen as an Organization that spends much of its financial and human resources on unnecessary meetings lacking any visibility and measurable benefits. Outreach initiatives should aim at attracting and buying-in the general public, the private sector, NGOs and member states into the activities of UNESCO. UNESCO’s Dakar Deceleration on Media and Good Governance should be translated into the establishment of learned information communities amongst its membership.

Mobility of Experts around the World
One of the salient features of globalization is the free movement, across territorial borders, of knowledge and skills, and of human and financial capital for socio-economic prosperity. Consequently, UNESCO has to promote and facilitate the mobility of quality experts and joint utilization of educational and research facilities within its membership. Diaspora programmes of the developing nations have to be supported by UNESCO. Such an undertaking also calls for international collaboration.

Global Partnerships for Global Challenges
UNESCO has to assist its membership to develop and maintain R&D programmes, some of which should have a greater coherence and convergence with those of the international development agencies. It has to promote and facilitate North-South, South-South and North-North cooperation for resolving problems of transnational dimensions (e.g. climate change, peace and security). Facilitation of public-private, national-regional international collaborations is an important task for UNESCO. Consequently, it has to promote and facilitate the growth and maturity of global partnerships for sustainable socio-economic benefits of all nations. UNESCO has to continuously promote and facilitate the generation of ideas and knowledge for socio-economic benefits of the global society, and this may be attained through the promotion of international collaborations in its activities. Global alliances, networks and consortia of implementers are essential.

Governance: leadership and management of the Organization
UNESCO could realize the above objectives and their concomitant challenges by having the following in place:
Well-focused, prioritized and delivery-oriented strategic plans and annual business plans with measurable parameters of achievements of the described objectives and milestones
Efficient, innovative, productive and cost-effective utilization of human and financial resources
Availability of performance indicators for all activities
Efficient and well-coordinated inter-sectoral initiatives (intersectoriality, cross-cutting platforms) within UNESCO through inter-and multi-disciplinary approaches
UNESCO to always remain mindful that it is not a funding agency
Partnership with member states, UN agencies, the private sector, NGOs and other appropriate development agencies for successful implementation of UNESCO’s activities and those of its membership and partners.
Good leadership is characterized by consultancy, listening and learning. UNESCO requires a visionary leadership that listens to and consults its member states and other stakeholders. Leadership and management of UNESCO’s programmes and projects should be in the hands of well-trained, competent, efficient and delivery oriented staff. Excellent management skills are obligatory. The staff of UNESCO should be aware of the broad strategic objectives of its membership and of relevant cognate organizations and professional societies.

UNESCO has to create a conducive working environment for its staff to discharge their duties with greater motivation, confidence, efficiency, accuracy and accountability. Decentralization, regionalization and clustering of programmes and projects as well as of human and financial resources have to be sustainably intensified and should be guided by clear intentions and by efficient-and quality delivery-oriented operation. Performance indicators and measurable deliverables have to be important ingredients of all UNESCO’s activities. UNESCO has to work very closely with its member states especially the National Commissions (including grassroot civil society), for sound and beneficial utilization of human and financial resources, and of educational, scientific, cultural and communication infrastructure.

Financial Resources of the Organization
Besides its annual budgets, the leadership of UNESCO has to increase budgets for the implementation of its projects and programmes through fundraising campaigns. This may be done through creation of partnerships with the private sector, joint projects and programmes with member states, other UN agencies, NGOs and other development partners. It has to attract bi-and multi-lateral programmes and projects dealing with educational, scientific, cultural, humanitarian and communication issues. Hence, fundraising campaigns aiming at increasing extra-budgetary resources shall be a priority of the new UNESCO leadership. However, UNESCO’s mandate and principles should not be compromised in this endeavour.

All financial resources available in its annual budgets should be wisely used and in a cost-effective manner. Priority has to be given to the approved and high-impact activities of its member states. UNESCO has always to remain mindful that it is not a funding agency and hence it can not do everything everywhere and at all times. The management of financial resources shall be in full compliance with the Organization’s financial policies and regulations, and shall be strongly supported by a rigorous and a comprehensive external auditing exercise at the end of each financial year. Transparent auditable trails have to be available to all financial contributors to assess progress, quality of delivery and probity in resource allocations and utilization. UNESCO of the 21st Century has to establish durable cooperation with both the private and public sectors in fulfilling its mandate and in the realization of the changing needs of its membership.

External Review of the Organization
UNESCO programmes and activities at the Head Office in Paris, and at its Regional and Cluster Offices shall undergo international external reviews every five years. The impact of sometimes poorly resourced UNESCO national, regional and/or cluster offices shall be evaluated for the benefit of its member states.

Leadership Qualities of UNESCO DG
The realization of the above vision for UNESCO of the 21st Century requires leadership which is visionary and dynamic. Excellent management skills, transparency, innovation, efficiency, quality productivity and high-impact delivery are obligatory. High integrity, impeccable morals, respect and diplomacy are a must. The UNESCO DG should be an excellent communicator and public speaker.

The candidate from Tanzania, Prof Sospeter Muhongo, possesses all of these leadership qualities.