Decision: appointment of the Head of the Convention Secretariat and renewal of the term of office

13 DECISION FCTC/COP8(8) Appointment of the Head of the Convention Secretariat and renewal of the term of office The Conference of the Parties (COP), Recalling decisions FCTC/COP1(10) on the establishment of a permanent secretariat of the Convention, FCTC/COP4(6) on the Head of the Convention Secretariat, FCTC/COP5(20) on the role of the Bureau of the COP, and FCTC/COP5(21) on the appointment and renewal of the term of office of the Head of the Convention Secretariat; Taking note of the recommendations by the Bureau of the COP contained in document FCTC/COP/6/25 and of decision FCTC/COP6(22) on the establishment of a process for the appointment of the Head of the Convention Secretariat, term of office and possible renewal of the term of office; Underscoring the importance of a rigorous, transparent and merit-based process to attract the best candidates, and ensure the selection of the most qualified individual, 1. DECIDES to establish the following process for the selection and appointment of the Head of the Convention Secretariat, and the following conditions for the renewal of the term of office: (a) the Bureau of the COP – in consultation with the Regional Coordinators of the COP and of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (Protocol), the Bureau of the MOP and the WHO Secretariat – shall prepare a job description for the position of Head of the Convention Secretariat and the selection criteria for the selection of candidates, taking into consideration the provisional selection criteria as contained in the Annex to this decision. The job description shall be based on the existing job description, Article 24.3 and other relevant Articles of the WHO FCTC and its Protocol, taking into account deliberations made by the COP at its Eighth session; (b) the Bureau of the COP shall submit the job description to the Director-General of WHO no later than eight months before the contract of the incumbent ends; (c) the COP shall invite the Director-General of WHO: to advertise the post of Head of the Convention Secretariat, as submitted by the Bureau, no later than 30 days after Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Eighth session Geneva, Switzerland, 1−6 October 2018 6 October 2018 FCTC/COP8(8) 2 receiving it; to ensure wide circulation of the advertised post, including by informing and inviting Parties to the WHO FCTC to encourage qualified candidates to apply using the WHO standard form for a curriculum vitae, limited to 3500 words; and to utilize the WHO Secretariat services to screen applications and perform reference checks; (d) WHO secretariat services shall forward to the COP Bureau and the MOP Bureau a complete list of all applications received, along with recommendations as to which candidates should be shortlisted and brief reasons for the recommendations; (e) the COP Bureau, in consultation with the MOP Bureau and with the support of one representative of the Director-General of WHO, shall decide on an initial shortlist of no more than six candidates to be interviewed, whom it considers to be the most qualified taking into account the job description and the criteria set out in the Annex to this decision; (f) the WHO Secretariat services shall for transparency purposes communicate the list of candidates and the shortlist of candidates to be interviewed to the Parties of the WHO FCTC, through a dedicated and protected website to ensure at the same time the confidentiality of the process; (g) following the interviews, the COP Bureau in consultation with the MOP Bureau, shall select the suitable candidate and recommend to the Director-General of WHO a single candidate; (h) the COP Regional Coordinators, as referred to in Rule 24quater of the Rules of Procedure of the COP, and MOP Regional Coordinators will be invited to observe the complete selection process and will facilitate two-way communication with the Parties in their respective regions; (i) the appointment of the Head of the Convention Secretariat shall be made by the Director- General of WHO, in consultation with the President of the COP and the President of the MOP; (j) the term of office of the third and subsequent Heads of the Convention Secretariat shall be for a period of four years, with the possibility of a single renewal for a further four years following the process described above in operative paragraphs 1(a) to 1(h); 2. FURTHER DECIDES to mandate the COP Bureau to make recommendations to the COP at its Ninth session on the above-mentioned appointment process, based on the experience gained and comments received from Parties intersessionally, and on any other matters that should be considered for future appointments. FCTC/COP8(8) 3 ANNEX CRITERIA FOR THE SELECTION OF CANDIDATES FOR THE POSITION OF HEAD OF THE CONVENTION SECRETARIAT 3. A strong background in and knowledge of both technical and policy issues, as well as substantive experience, in public health and international cooperation. 4. Experience in international health, including working with international organizations and Member States, and maintaining strong links with the international tobacco control community, and preferably working experience in developing countries. 5. Demonstrable leadership skills and experience, including the ability to translate into action the COP’s and MOP’s vision for the Convention and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. 6. Proven ability to deal effectively with the media, academic groups, United Nations entities, industry, political leaders and civil society, as well as public health and anti-illicit trade specialists. 7. Excellent communication and advocacy skills, including the ability to build consensus and the commitment to improve coordination with relevant United Nations entities. 8. Demonstrable competence in organizational management and financing for complex health-related organizations, including the ability to analyse organizational problems and find adequate solutions as well as to effectively mobilize resources to support the implementation of the Convention and the Protocol. 9. Sensitivity to cultural, social and political differences. 10. A strong commitment to the objectives and implementation of the Convention and the Protocol as well as to evidence-based promotion and protection of public health, in accordance with the principles of the Convention and the Protocol. 11. A health record compatible with carrying out the duties of the post. 12. Proven integrity and independence, including the ability to protect the Convention and the Protocol from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry. 13. Proficiency in at least one of the six official languages of WHO and sufficient skills in a second official language. (Fifth plenary meeting, 6 October 2018) = = =