Executive Board Hundred and eighty-second session 182 EX/INF. 9 PARIS, 8 September 2009 English & French only Item 22 of the provisional agenda NOMINATION OF A CANDIDATE FOR THE POST OF DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNESCO In view of the forthcoming consideration of the above-mentioned item by the Executive Board, relevant texts are reproduced hereafter as supplementary information for the representatives of its States Members.
182 EX/INF.9 I. PROVISIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION AND RULES OF PROCEDURE RELATING TO THE APPOINTMENT OF THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL A. CONSTITUTION Article IV, paragraph B.7 The General Conference shall elect the Members of the Executive Board and, on the recommendation of the Board, shall appoint the Director-General. Article VI, paragraph 2 2. The Director-General shall be nominated by the Executive Board and appointed by the General Conference for a period of four years, under such conditions as the Conference may approve. The Director-General may be appointed for a further term of four years but shall not be eligible for reappointment for a subsequent term. The Director-General shall be the chief administrative officer of the Organization. B. RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE Chapter XIX Appointment of the Director-General Rule 105 Nomination by the Executive Board After discussion at a private meeting, the Executive Board shall submit for approval by the General Conference a nomination for the post of the Director-General of the Organization. It shall submit at the same time a draft contract establishing the terms of appointment, salary, allowances and status of the Director-General. Rule 106 Vote on the nomination The General Conference shall consider this nomination and the draft contract at a private meeting and shall then come to a decision by secret ballot. Rule 107 Subsequent nominations Should the General Conference fail to elect the person proposed by the Executive Board, the Executive Board shall submit another name within forty-eight hours. Rule 108 Contract of appointment The contract shall be signed jointly by the Director-General and the President of the General Conference acting in the name of the Organization. C. RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD Rule 58 Nomination of the Director-General 1. At least six months before the expiry of the term of office of the Director-General or as soon as possible in case of vacancy at any other time, the Executive Board shall invite Member States to suggest, confidentially, the names of persons who might be considered for the post of Director- General, requesting them at the same time to provide full biographical details regarding these persons.
182 EX/INF.9 page 2 2. The Executive Board shall consider in private meeting all the names so suggested, together with any proposed by Members of the Board, provided that no candidature shall be considered unless biographical details are available. 3. The person to be nominated by the Executive Board shall be chosen by secret ballot. 4. The Chairman of the Board shall inform the General Conference of the candidate nominated by the Board. Rule 54 Secret ballot 1. The nomination of a candidate for the post of Director-General shall be decided by secret ballot. 2. All other elections and decisions relating to individuals shall be voted on by secret ballot whenever five or more Members shall so request or if the Chairman shall so decide. Rule 55 Conduct of voting by secret ballot 1. Before the vote begins, the Chairman shall appoint two tellers to scrutinize the votes cast. 2. When the counting of the votes is completed and the tellers have reported to the Chairman, he shall announce the results of the ballot bearing in mind that the voting will be recorded as follows: (a) From the total number of the Members of the Board will be deducted: the number of Members absent, if any; the number of blank ballot papers, if any; the number of invalid ballot papers, if any. (b) (c) The remaining number will constitute the number of votes recorded. The majority required will be more than half that number. Those receiving a number of votes in favour, equal or superior to the majority required shall be declared elected. Rule 56 Voting in elections 1. When a single elective place is to be filled, any candidate obtaining in the first ballot an absolute majority (i.e. more than half) of the votes cast shall be declared elected. 2. If no candidate obtains an absolute majority in the first ballot, further ballots shall be taken. Any candidate obtaining an absolute majority of the votes cast shall be declared elected. If, after four ballots have been taken, no candidate has obtained an absolute majority, a final ballot shall be taken, restricted to the two candidates who obtained the most votes in the fourth ballot. The candidate obtaining a majority of the votes cast shall be declared elected. 3. When two or more elective places are to be filled at one time under the same conditions, those candidates obtaining in the first ballot an absolute majority of the votes cast shall be declared elected. If the number of candidates obtaining such a majority is less than the number of places to be filled, there shall be additional ballots to fill the remaining places, the voting being restricted to the candidates obtaining the greatest number of votes in the previous ballot, to a number not exceeding twice the number of places remaining to be filled.
182 EX/INF.9 page 3 4. If necessary, in order to determine the candidates to participate in a restricted ballot, an eliminating ballot may be taken restricted to the candidates having obtained the same number of votes in the previous ballot. 5. If, in the final ballot or an eliminating ballot, two or more candidates obtain the same number of votes, the Chairman shall decide between them by drawing lots. II. PROCEDURE FORESEEN FOR THE NOMINATION OF A CANDIDATE FOR THE POST OF DIRECTOR-GENERAL 1. At the 180th session, the Executive Board held a public meeting to examine the procedure to be followed for the appointment of the Director-General of the Organization. 2. On the Bureau s proposal, the Board approved, as amended, the following steps to be taken in preparation for the appointment of the Director-General, on the understanding that the Bureau would submit to the Board at its 181st session a new version of paragraph (d) taking account of the various comments made at the 180th session: (a) (b) (c) immediately after the end of the 180th session, the Chairman would dispatch to Member States a letter inviting them to submit to him confidentially, by 31 May 2009 at the latest, the names of candidates for the post of Director-General, together with full biographical details. This letter would contain two annexes setting out the relevant Rules of Procedure of the General Conference and of the Executive Board and the draft contract established on the basis of the contract currently in force between the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Director- General; communication to Member States and Members of the Executive Board (confidentially) of the list of names suggested, by the first week of June 2009 at the latest; the Chairman of the Executive Board would invite the candidates to submit to the Board the text setting out their vision for UNESCO, by 1 August 2009 at the latest. The text should not exceed 2,000 words in English or in French; [(d) at the 182nd session (the session preceding the 35th session of the General Conference), consideration by the Executive Board in private meeting of the names put forward, pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 3 of Rule 58 of the Rules of Procedure. The Board would interview the candidates before choosing the candidate whom it would recommend to the General Conference. The interviews with the candidates would be simultaneously video broadcast in Room XI, access to which would be limited to one representative from each Member State of UNESCO not a Member of the Executive Board, pursuant to Rule 29, paragraph 1, of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board;] (e) (f) the candidate to be proposed by the Executive Board to the General Conference would be chosen by secret ballot by the Board pursuant to paragraph 1 of Rule 54 and paragraph 3 of Rule 58 of the Rules of Procedure of the Board; the Board would inform the General Conference of the name of the candidate nominated by the Board pursuant to paragraph 4 of Rule 58 of the Rules of Procedure and submit to the General Conference a draft contract establishing the terms of appointment, salary, allowances and status of the Director-General. 3. 181 EX/Decision 25: At its 181st session, on the basis of the Bureau s proposals on the form and duration of the interviews with the candidates and the order in which they would be conducted, the Executive Board approved the following procedure:
182 EX/INF.9 page 4 The Executive Board, 1. Having examined document 181 EX/25, 2. Approves the following procedure, contained in paragraphs 4 and 5 of document 181 EX/25, as amended, for the nomination of a candidate for the office of Director-General in 2009: Paragraph 4 (i) (ii) (iii) The Board has set 31 May 2009 as the deadline for the receipt of the names of candidates proposed by the Member States. The Chairman will make a public announcement no later than 8 June 2009 concerning the names of candidates thus proposed. The Chairman will invite the candidates to submit to him, on behalf of the Executive Board, no later than 1 August 2009, a text not exceeding 2,000 words, in one of the six working languages of the Executive Board, setting out their vision for UNESCO. (iv) The Board shall consider, in private meeting, all the names of the candidates so suggested, provided that no candidature shall be considered unless biographical details are available, in accordance with Rule 58, paragraph 2, of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board. (v) (vi) The candidates will be interviewed in private meeting at the 182nd session. The duration of each interview will be a maximum of one hour. It will consist of two parts: First part: Oral presentation by the candidate, lasting up to 20 minutes. Second part: (a) (b) (c) (d) Each electoral group will designate its representative(s), who will ask each candidate one question. The questions, which should not exceed two minutes each, may be asked in any of the six working languages of the Executive Board, and the candidates will reply in English or in French. In the interview, they will be encouraged to state their ability to handle the two working languages of the UNESCO Secretariat or to develop it further. The candidate will have a maximum of five minutes in which to answer each question. The candidate will have up to 30 minutes in which to answer the six questions asked by the electoral groups. (vii) The order of the interviews of the candidates and the order in which the electoral groups ask their questions will be determined by lots drawn at the first private meeting of the 182nd session. (viii) The interviews of the candidates will be broadcast simultaneously on-screen in Room XI, access to which will be limited to one representative per Member State of UNESCO not a Member of the Executive Board, pursuant to Rule 29, paragraph 1, of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board.
182 EX/INF.9 page 5 (ix) After completion of all interviews, the Executive Board will discuss privately, in a private meeting, in preparation for the balloting process, without analysing or discussing the outcome of the interviews, in accordance with Rule 58, paragraph 2, of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board. (x) Voting will be by secret ballot in private meeting, in accordance with Rule 58, paragraph 3, of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board. (xi) Each candidate will be offered appropriate office facilities on the day of his or her interview. 4. In the light of the foregoing and pursuant to its earlier request, the Executive Board also approved in the above-mentioned decision the new wording, set out below, of paragraph (d) of the measures adopted at its 180th session: (d) At the 182nd session (the session preceding the 35th session of the General Conference), consideration by the Executive Board in private meeting of the names put forward, pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 3 of Rule 58 of the Rules of Procedure. The Board will, at a private meeting, interview the candidates through the procedure outlined in paragraph 4 above. 1 After discussions at a private meeting at the end of the interview process, the Board shall choose through secret ballot the candidate whom it will recommend to the General Conference. 1 Paragraph II.3 of this document. Printed on recycled paper