‘Too many candidates to hamper top job chances’
‘UNESCO head polls soon’
Spectacular gardens at the Boulevard Mall. – Ahmad Surour — KUNA PARIS, June 24, (KUNA): A few months ahead of the election of the new director general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Arab countries’ failure to agree on one candidate threatens to deprive them all of the chance to seriously compete for the top job.
Among the nine candidates who applied for the post from all over the world, there are four from the Arab region, namely Moushira Khattab from Egypt; Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari from Qatar; Saleh Al-Hasnawi from Iraq and Vera El-Khoury Lacoeuilhe from Lebanon.
Also vying for the post, Qian Tang from China; Audrey Azoulay from France; Polad Bulbuloglu from Azerbaijan; Pham Sanh Chau from Vietnam; and Juan Alfonso Fuentes Soria from Guatemala.
The presence of the four candidates from the Arab countries would negatively impact Arab chances to win the important post, Kuwait’s Delegate to the UNESCO Meshaal Hayyat told KUNA.
Hayyat pointed out that the Executive Board would elect the new director general by secret ballot during the board’s 202nd session in October 2017.
A total of 58 board members would participate in choosing the new director general including seven from Arab countries, namely Egypt, Qatar, Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria, Sultanate of Oman, and Sudan, he said.
He noted that the nine candidates were interviewed during the 201st board session on Wednesday and Thursday, the April 26 and 27 of 2017 about their vision to the job.
The director-general of UNESCO is the Organization’s chief administrative officer. The director-general may be appointed initially for a period of four years, and may be appointed for a further term of four years, but shall not be eligible for reappointment for a subsequent term. Hayyat viewed that the Chinese candidate Qian Tang who is supported by the Asian group in the board, is one of the most prominent nominees.
The moon-sighting committee announcing that Sunday, June 25 will be the 1st day of Shawwal or the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, signalling the end of the holy fasting
month of Ramadan.
Efforts
He also added that the Qatari candidate Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari has good chances due to his qualifications and the relentless efforts he exerted to promote himself among all UNECO member states.
Hayyat also pointed that France competition for the post was not welcomed and caused unease among members. France is the host country of UNESCO, and there is a tradition that countries hosting UN agencies should not vie for the top post of the organization it hosts, he said.
The Arab countries’ failure to stand united behind one candidate have lost real chances for Arabs to win UNECO top posts at least in 1999, 2009 and 2013 elections.
The current Director General of UNECO Bulgarian Irina Bokova hardly won the post with a margin of three votes in 2009 after a fierce competition with Egyptian former culture minister Farouq Hosni due to the presence of the another Arab candidate from Algeria.
The same scenario was repeated in 2013 when the competition between two Arab candidates from Djibouti and Lebanon opened the door for Bokova to win a second term in office. The UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations based in Paris. Its declared purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter.