Information You Can Use: A Bi-monthly Service for the UN and Civil Society
Volume 1, Issue 3, June-July 2004
Memorandum from Civil Society on the New Leadership of UNCTAD
21 June 2004 - Sao Paulo, Brazil
Memorandum from Civil Society on the New Leadership of UNCTAD
21 June 2004 - Sao Paulo, Brazil
At the meeting of the civil society held with the Secretary General
of the United Nations on the occasion of UNCTAD XI, civil society drew attention
of the Secretary-General to the importance of selecting the most qualified and
competent individual to the post of the Secretary General of UNCTAD.
The Civil Society statement states that ´safeguarding and strengthening
UNCTAD´s mandate to deal with the interdependent issues of trade, money,
finance, technology transfer and development, in an integrated manner, is critically
dependent on the quality and management of its leadership. In light of the impending
changes in the leadership of UNCTAD this civil society forum urges the Secretary
General of the UN and member states to exercise the greatest care and transparency
in the selection of UNCTAD´s new management. As a key stakeholder concerned
with UNCTAD´s future, civil society expects to be closely involved with
a consulted in decisions concerning the institution's future management. ´
The Secretary General expressed his appreciation to the Forum of the civil society
in highlighting this important issue. He assured the civil society of his commitment
to recommend, to the General Assembly of the UN for the post of Secretary General
of UNCTAD, an individual, who would carry out a high standard of leadership
and commitment. In this connection he invited non-governmental organizations
to make recommendations for a suitable candidates.
The civil society appreciates the gestures to the Secretary-General of the UN
in his encouragement of civil society to make recommendations in the process
leading to the selection of the Head of an important UN agency. Civil society
values this initiative that would clearly enhance the credibility of the process.
Accordingly, we are of the view that the next Secretary General of UNCTAD should
have as his essential objective the political and substantive revitalization
to the institution.
We wish to recommend in the selection of the Secretary General, that he or she
must posses the following qualities:
- Highest ethical and moral standards and who would uphold the ideals of the
UN;
- Outstanding international reputation exhibited by political commitment to
the promotion of international peace and development cooperation;
- Deeply familiar with multilateral trade and economic negotiations;
- Knowledgeable and experienced in addressing development challenges in the
context of poor countries;
- Understanding the gender dimension of social and economic issues
- Capable of taking concrete policy positions, deepening inclusiveness and greater
participation of developing countries on international platforms;
- Independence;
- Proven track record of negotiating experience;
- Impeccable management and administrative skills that would contribute to a
reinvigoration of the institution.
The new Secretary General should be committed to:
- Recovering lost space and to break new ground by reaffirming UNCTAD´s
original mandate;
- Rearticulating priorities in the apparent awakening of the South-South emphasis;
- Incorporating and promoting gender and development considerations as a core
value in UNCTAD's core work program and its interventions in other international
platforms
- Coordinating with ILO, DESA and other UN agencies;
- Setting up a research department, that can competently compete with research
departments of OECD, World Bank, IMF and WTO;
- Supporting ´Brain Gain´ in the South by decentralizing via regional
cooperation with Mercosur, Caricom, African Union, ASEAN and other similar regional
organizations;
- Putting goals and targets to UNCTAD work programme, similar to the MDGs, but
in specific relation to job creation.