African StatesUganda
His Excellency Adonia Ayebare
Asia-Pacific States
Viet Nam
His Excellency Dang Dinh Quy
Eastern European States
Slovenia
Her Excellency Darja Bavdaž Kuret
Latin American and Caribbean States
Guatemala
Mr. Omar Castañeda Solares (Chargé d’affaires)
Western European and other States
Australia
Her Excellency Gillian Bird
Nyaradzayi
Gumbonzvanda deserves the post the best
candidate for the position she is on my # 1 list on my role models … her advocacy skill her commitment for women
empowerment is so amazing
she is not a leader of the world …. GO GO Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda we are all with you
i would like to give a 100% percent support to Nyaradzai , the work she has done for womens right all over the world is amazing , she is passionate about her work and support her all the way !!!!!
Congratulations Nyaradzayi. Given your passion for women and girls, you are best candidate. All the best.
All the best Nyaradzayi. You have all it takes.
There seems to be rumors that Mme Irina Bokova will not seek a second term? Any information on this?
ban ki mon is useless, he did nothing, he couldnt stop any warn, neither work for peace, somuch of violence every where, egypt, syria, pak, afgan srilanka, sudan, but america chose moon instead of tharoor. coffee annan was good enough working fo peace.
The negative comments on Irina Bokova scare me – and seem quite to be unfair. I read the report made by Cour des Comptes – the general part is not justified . So were the many negative articles. As told by some executive in the place, it seems like a diplomatic underground initiative is made by some great powers to
– destabilize and break down Irina Bokova
– and introduce DISCRETELY the French (and Lebanese) candidate (former highest executive at Quai d’Orsay head of prospective – ie information under the former conservative governement ) : Joseph Maila who will be able to capitalize much of the european voices lost by Bokova – because some will prefer a Christian rector to an African diplomat (Farah) whatever would be the dynamics and commitment of the latter – ethnoreligious unconscious stereotypes may override objective consideration on programs and dynamics -.
Joseph Maila is a very respectable person and become since less than a decade moderate and peaceful with good speeches . I like his personality, he is intellectual, honest and respectful of people : but what about the persons who support him ? some – not all because others are moderate and respectable – seem to be belonging to the former tough Christian Lebanese Right wing . Will they take over the direction of UNESCO and give a radical shift to the organization ? Or will there be guarantees against this as we know that DG (alongside with his close advisors) has a lot of internal prerogatives in appointments ? Hope that Joseph Maila will avoid them and give at least a very little place to Muslim Lebanese, moderate Christian and secular leftists – he will be winning a lot.
Irina Bokova committed maybe some mistakes, her mandate was not a disaster. Who is able to manage a 22% cut off in the budget of the organization without provoking some disequilibria ? Stupid to claim that UNESCO is in danger just because one DG did less than expected. She got more than twenty commitment, this in the official public movement. The vote is secret, so are the negotiations and the instruction that may be given etc..The surprise is total in regard to the official commitments. Shadow diplomacy is a masterpiece in non-transparent processes.
Wait and see.
Suppose that what I told in the last comment is groundless :
1- checked elements :
the data manipulated by journalists are correct but the trend to overemphasize on Irina Bokova’s responsibility seems exagerated
the report of Cour des compte is very well grounded when stating on the “programme de participation” but only gives headlines without statistics and data on the general governance – and in a bona fide process because it is out of their jurisdictional competence
2- reverting the former hypothesis
instead of supposing that there was an a priori secret diplomacy we can suppose that the lobbying made by the third candidate succeded in reverting French and some european diplomacies who formerly promised to support the incumbent DG. Shift is possible in “soft politics” with little harm.
And this only is what I was told about by some executive two months ago.
In this case, the theory of conspiration is groundless and simplistic
3- suppose that no voter will behave according to ethnostereotypes
4- suppose that what will make the position of Joseph Maila crucial is that he is more confortable with magistral speech and academic reflexes.
5- suppose that his headquarter will be fortunately constituted with more French and less Lebanese, the thing that will be less humiliating for Lebanese Muslim and Leftist who are underrepresented in Lebanese delegations in France.
6- suppose that, under the pressure of the 54 Muslim member states he would decide to move in another and more positive direction
7- suppose that his sympathic and openminded personality would be of no relevance in political processes that require tough decisions and hard sacrifices in human resources management
8- suppose that more representative than expected remain steady to the first promises
All these facts allow us to demonstrate how stupid was my last simplistic way of thinking.
thank you for bearing my dialectical and controversial statements. try to think that diplomacy is a very complicated game.
epistemologically :
1- secret diplomacy is just part of a whole process : diplomacy is not only made of public statements
2- actors influence decision at many levels and in a single state there maybe cross influences and divisions : suppose a state where Minister of foreign affairs rejects a candidate who is supported by the head of state, with no governmental consensus etc..
3- objective convergence between actors doesn’t mean conspiracy
these three hypothesis may invalidate the structure of my last comment – I do not know wether the facts I related in my last comments become true : I hope not – but hope is not reality !
I always hoped democratic changes social justice but just opposite is sometimes effective.
There are continuing rumors on this, but her governments continues to promote her re-election. Feel free to share any speculation and leads that you hear and we’ll follow up.
The purpose of these posts on the election of the UNESCO Director General is to make it easier fro interested people to find relevant information.
Surely a function of the Executive Board is to prevent anyone unworthy of the honor from being elected Director General of UNESCO. It would seem that all three of the current candidates are deserving of respectful consideration. I hope that the election process will choose the candidate most likely to help UNESCO rise to the challenges inherent in its mission and the evolving global situation in future years.
As you suggest Professor Wald, it is likely that the representatives of the member states also will be concerned that the outcome of the election advances their nations’ general foreign policy interests.
Do not underestimate the influence of groups of countries voting together in the election. African nations, very concerned with the developmental challenges facing sub-Saharan Africa, have successfully joined in focusing UNESCO’s programs on that region. Irina Bokova is the first Director General to have been born and educated in what used to be the Communist block of nations. It has been suggested in the past that there have been efforts to coalesce the nations of the European Union around a single candidate. It will be interesting to see if a block of nations coalesces around either the candidate from Djibouti or the one from Lebanon.
It is clearly the case that some countries are able to put more resources into their missions to UNESCO and thus follow the management issues more closely than other (less less affluent) countries. These countries may be most concerned with the transparency of UNESCO/s management and the efficiency of its operation.
Let me just emphasize the huge impact for the best of the future of the whole planet population if the new DG creates a think-tank cell in Paris peopled with experts from UNESCO and WHO in order the redefine the paradigm of HEALTH. The 850th Anniversary of the Hôtel-Dieu of Paris apart from 2014 is an opportunity to start that procedure of brain storming.
I’m starting a series of bimestrial international conferences on Hospital Museology under the auspices of the Academy of Sciences, Arts & Technologies of Medical Imaging (ACSATIM) in order to boost the discussion. The first one is scheduled on 18 October 2013 at the Ecole du Val-de-Grâce of Paris with two French orators, one from the Erasmus University Rotterdam, one from Dornod, Mongolia.
I plan to invite the elected DG to open either the first conference or the next one.
If you like that project that you to join me!
Le Figero reports that Irina Bokova received 39 votes, Rachad Farah received 13 and Joseph Maila received 6. http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2013/10/04/97001-20131004FILWWW00582-bokova-reelue-a-la-tete-de-l-unesco.php
It makes sense for the continuity, if the sitting Director-General is entitled to
a second term. Considering that Bokova is the first woman DG, I am happy at the outcome. Hopefully, she will have learned from the mistakes of her first term and go about her second term, in a more professional way.
I would like to congratulate Madame Bokova
Interesting initiative.
The USA has lost its voting rights at UNESCO http://j.mp/HGUn51
Unesco:les US perdent leur droit de vote http://j.mp/1axGsVa
Irina Bokova regrets loss of US voting rights | UNESCO http://j.mp/19OWZbk
National security adviser Susan Rice urged Congress to help U.S. regain UNESCO vote – The Washington Post http://j.mp/1eCexLB
National security adviser Susan Rice urged Congress to help U.S. regain UNESCO vote – The Washington Post http://j.mp/1eCexLB
Statement by Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on the Loss of U.S. Vote at UNESCO http://j.mp/1aPxRgR
State Department Press Release: Loss of U.S. Vote at UNESCO http://j.mp/1bBiidD
Good piece. Important to start debate and discussion on what kind of Secretary-General we need. Geographically, Eastern Europe stands in turn, while the South is underrepresented. An anglosaxican westerner is not reflective of the UN aspirations at this juncture. Character wise, there is a need for an impeccible record of service and honest character, rather than one of political ambition and political shrewdness.
i hope they give it to a man so that when its Africa’s turn i can stand a good chance great article tho.
What about Kevin Rudd (ex-Australian PM)? We have heard that he is courting this position?
He can not speak neither Portuguese correctly will want to be secretary of the UN?
The ONLY presidents of Brazil who do not speak English were Lula and Dilma.
SHAME WORLD