132nd session Agenda item 13.1
EB132.R14 29 January 2013
Follow-up of the report of the Working Group on the Election of the Director-General of the World Health Organization The Executive Board, Having considered the report by the Director-General on the follow-up of the report of the Working Group on the Election of the Director-General of the World Health Organization,1 1. RECOMMENDS to the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly the adoption of the following resolution: The Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly, Having considered the report on the follow-up of the report of the Working Group on the Election of the Director-General of the World Health Organization, 1. ADOPTS the Code of Conduct for the Election of the Director-General of the World Health Organization as set forth in Annex 1 to this resolution; 2. ESTABLISHES a candidates’ forum open to all Member States,2 as a non-decisionmaking platform for candidates, as set forth in Annex 2 to this resolution; 3. APPROVES the standard form for a curriculum vitae set forth in Annex 3 to this resolution, which shall be used henceforth by Member States proposing persons for the post of Director-General as the sole document to be submitted; 4. DECIDES that the curriculum vitae of each candidate shall be limited to [3500] words and shall also be submitted in electronic format in order to enable the Chairman of the Board to verify that this limit is not exceeded; 5. DECIDES to amend Rules 70 and 108 of the Rules of Procedure of the World Health Assembly and to add a new Rule 70bis, as set forth in Annex 4 to this resolution;
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Document EB132/29. And, where applicable, regional economic integration organizations.
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6.
REQUESTS the Director-General: (1) to explore options for the use of electronic voting for the appointment of the Director-General, including the financial and electronic security implications thereof, and to report thereon, through the Executive Board, to the Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly; (2) to consolidate a description of the overall process for the election of the DirectorGeneral in a single draft reference document with a view to submitting it, through the Executive Board, for the consideration of the Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly.
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ANNEX 1 CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE ELECTION OF THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
In resolution WHA65.15 concerning the report of the Working Group of Member States on the Process and Methods of the Election of the Director-General of the World Health Organization, the World Health Assembly decided, inter alia, that “a code of conduct, in line with Recommendation 7 of the report of the Joint Inspection Unit “Selection and Conditions of Service of Executive Heads in the United Nations System Organizations”, which candidates for the post of Director-General of the World Health Organization and Member States should undertake to observe and respect, will be developed by the Secretariat for consideration by the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly through the Executive Board.” This code of conduct (the “code”) aims at promoting an open, fair, equitable and transparent process for the election of the Director-General of the World Health Organization. In seeking to improve the overall process, the code addresses several areas, including the submission of proposals, the conduct of electoral campaigns by Member States and candidates, as well as funding and financial matters. The code is a political understanding reached by the Member States of the World Health Organization. It recommends desirable behaviour by Member States and candidates with regard to the election of the Director-General in order to increase the fairness, credibility, openness and transparency of the process and thus its legitimacy as well as the legitimacy and acceptance of its outcome. As such, the code is not legally binding but Member States and candidates are expected to honour its contents.
A. I.
General requirements Basic principles
The whole election process as well as electoral campaign activities related to it should be guided by the following principles that further the legitimacy of the process and of its result: due regard to the principle of equitable geographical representation fairness, equity, transparency, good faith, dignity, mutual respect and moderation, non-discrimination, and merit.
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Annex 1
II. Authority of the Health Assembly and the Executive Board in accordance with their Rules of Procedure 1. Member States accept the authority of the Health Assembly and the Executive Board to conduct the election of the Director-General in accordance with their Rules of Procedure and relevant resolutions and decisions. 2. Member States that propose persons for the post of Director-General have the right to promote those candidatures. The same applies to candidates with regard to their own candidature. In the exercise of that right, Member States and candidates should abide by all rules governing the election of the Director-General contained in the Constitution of the World Health Organization, the Rules of Procedure of the World Health Assembly, and the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board as well as in relevant resolutions and decisions.
III. Responsibilities 1. It is the responsibility of Member States and candidates for the post of Director-General of the World Health Organization to observe and respect this code. 2. Member States acknowledge that the process of election of the Director-General should be fair, open, transparent, equitable and based on the merits of the individual candidates. They should make this code publicly known and easily accessible. 3. The Secretariat will also promote awareness of the code in accordance with the provisions of the code.
B. I.
Requirements for the different steps of the election process Submission of proposals
When proposing the name of one or more persons for the post of Director-General, Member States should include in their proposal a statement to the effect that they and the persons proposed by them pledge to observe the provisions of the code. The Director-General will remind Member States accordingly when inviting Member States to propose persons for the post of Director-General in accordance with Rule 52 of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board.
II.
Electoral campaign
1. This code applies to electoral campaign activities related to the election of the Director-General whenever they take place until the appointment by the Health Assembly. 2. All Member States and candidates should encourage and promote communication and cooperation among one another during the entire election process. Member States and candidates should act in good faith bearing in mind the shared objectives of promoting equity, openness, transparency and fairness throughout the election process. 3. All Member States and candidates should consider disclosing their campaign activities (for example, hosting of meetings, workshops and visits) and communicate them to the Secretariat. Information so disclosed will be posted on a dedicated page of the WHO web site. 4
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4. Member States and candidates should refer to one another with respect; no Member State or candidate should at any time disrupt or impede the campaign activities of other candidates. Nor should any Member State or any candidate make any oral or written statement or other representation that could be deemed slanderous or libellous. 5. Member States and candidates should refrain from improperly influencing the election process, by, for example, granting or accepting financial or other benefits as a quid pro quo for the support of a candidate, or by promising such benefits. 6. Member States and candidates should not make promises or commitments in favour of, or accept instructions from, any person or entity, public or private, and should avoid any other similar action, when that could undermine, or be perceived as undermining, the integrity of the election process. 7. Member States proposing persons for the post of Director-General should consider disclosing grants or aid funding to other Member States during the previous two years in order to ensure full transparency and mutual confidence among Member States. 8. Member States that have proposed persons for the post of Director-General should facilitate meetings between their candidate and other Member States, if so requested. Wherever possible, meetings between candidates and Member States should be arranged on the occasion of conferences or other events involving different Member States rather than through bilateral visits. 9. Travel by candidates to Member States to promote their candidature should be limited in order to avoid excessive expenditure which could lead to inequality among Member States and candidates. In this connection, Member States and candidates should consider using as much as possible existing mechanisms (sessions of the regional committees, Executive Board and Health Assembly) for meetings and other promotional activities linked to the electoral campaign. 10. Candidates, whether internal or external, should not combine their official travel with campaigning activities. Electoral promotion or propaganda under the guise of technical meetings or similar events should be avoided. 11. After the Director-General has dispatched all proposals, curricula vitae and supporting information to Member States in accordance with Rule 52 of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board, the Secretariat will open on the WHO web site a password-protected forum for questions and answers, open to all Member States and candidates who request to participate in such a forum. The Secretariat will also post on the WHO web site information on all candidates who so request including their curricula vitae and other particulars of their qualifications and experience as received from Member States, as well as their contact information. The web site will also provide links to individual web sites of candidates upon request. Each candidate is responsible for setting up and financing his or her own web site. 12. The Secretariat will also post on WHO’s web site, at the time referred to in the first paragraph of Rule 52 of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board, information on the election process and the applicable rules and decisions, as well as the text of this code.
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III. Nomination and appointment 1. The nomination and appointment of the Director-General is conducted by the Executive Board and the Health Assembly, respectively, in accordance with their Rules of Procedure and relevant resolutions and decisions. As a matter of principle in order to preserve the serenity of the proceedings, candidates should not attend those meetings even if they form part of the delegation of a Member State. 2. Member States should abide strictly by the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board and of the World Health Assembly and other applicable resolutions and decisions and respect the integrity, legitimacy and dignity of the proceedings. As such, they should avoid behaviours and actions, both inside and outside the conference room where the nomination and appointment take place, that could be perceived as aiming at influencing its outcome. 3. Member States should respect the confidentiality of the proceedings and the secrecy of the votes. In particular, they should refrain from communicating or broadcasting the proceedings during the private meetings through electronic devices. 4. In view of the secret nature of the vote for the nomination and appointment of the Director-General, Member States should refrain from publicly announcing in advance their intention to vote for a particular candidate.
IV.
Internal candidates
1. WHO staff members, including the Director-General in office, who are proposed for the post of Director-General, are subject to the obligations contained in the WHO Constitution, Staff Regulations and Staff Rules as well as to the guidance which may be issued from time to time by the Director-General. 2. WHO staff members who are proposed for the post of Director-General must observe the highest standard of ethical conduct and strive to avoid any appearance of impropriety. WHO staff members must clearly separate their WHO functions from their candidacy and avoid any overlap, or perception of overlap, between campaign activities and their work for WHO. They also have to avoid any perception of conflict of interest. 3. WHO staff members are subject to the authority of the Director-General, in accordance with the applicable regulations and rules, in case of allegations of breach of their duties with regard to their campaign activities. 4. The Health Assembly or the Executive Board may call upon the Director-General to apply Staff Rule 650 concerning special leave to staff members who have been proposed for the post of Director-General.
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ANNEX 2 CANDIDATES’ FORUM Convening and conduct of the forum 1. The candidates’ forum will be convened by the Secretariat at the request of the Executive Board as a self-standing event preceding the Board, and will be chaired by the Chairman of the Board, with the support of the Officers of the Executive Board. The Board will formally convene the candidates’ forum and decide its date at the session preceding the session at which the nomination will take place.
Timing 2. The candidates’ forum shall be held not later than two months in advance of the session of the Board session at which the nomination will take place.
Duration 3. The duration of the candidates’ forum will be decided by the Officers of the Board depending on the number of candidates. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the maximum duration of the forum shall be three days.
Format 4. Each candidate shall make a presentation of up to 30 minutes, which will be followed by a questions and answers session so that the overall duration of each interview shall be 60 minutes. The order of the interviews shall be determined by lot. The forum shall decide, upon the proposal of the Chairman, on detailed arrangement for the interviews. 5. Member States and Associate Members participating in the candidates’ forum will be invited to prepare questions for each candidate during the initial presentation. Questions to be asked to each candidate will be drawn by lot by the Chairman.
Participation 6. Participation in the candidates’ forum will be limited to Member States1 and Associate Members of the World Health Organization. 7. For those Member States or Associate Members which should not be able to attend, the candidates’ forum will be broadcast by the Secretariat through a password protected website.
Documentation 8. The curricula vitae of candidates and other supporting information provided in line with Rule 52 of the Rules of Procedure of the Board will be made available electronically to all Member States and Associate Members in the language versions provided on a password protected web site.
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And, where applicable, regional economic integration organizations.
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ANNEX 3 FORM FOR CURRICULUM VITAE
Family name (surname):
First/other names:
Attach recent photograph
Gender:
Date of birth (Day/Month/Year): Place and country of birth:
Citizenship: If you have ever been found guilty of the violation of any law (except minor traffic violations) give full particulars:
Civil status:
Number of dependants:
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Address to which correspondence should be sent:
Telephone:
Mobile phone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Degrees/certificates obtained: (Please indicate here the principal degrees/certificates obtained, with dates and names of institutions. Additional pages may be added.)
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Knowledge of languages
Mother tongue Arabic Chinese English French
Speak
Read
Write
For languages other than mother tongue, enter appropriate number from code below to indicate level of your language knowledge. If no knowledge, please leave blank.
CODE: 1. Limited conversation, reading of newspapers, routine correspondence.
Spanish Russian Others (please specify)
2. Engage freely in discussions, read and write more difficult material
3. Fluent (nearly) as in mother tongue
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Positions held Please indicate here the positions and work experience held during your professional career, with the corresponding dates, duties, achievements/accomplishments and responsibilities. Additional pages may be added.
Please state any other relevant facts that might help in the evaluation of your application. List your activities in civil, professional, public or international affairs.
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Please list here a maximum of 10 publications - especially the main ones in the field of public health, with names of journals, books or reports in which they appeared. An additional page may be used for this purpose, if necessary. (Please feel free also to attach a complete list of all publications.) Do not attach the publications themselves.
Please list hobbies, sports, skills and any other relevant facts that might help in the evaluation of your application:
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WRITTEN STATEMENT 1. Please evaluate how you meet each of the “Criteria for candidates for the post of the DirectorGeneral of the World Health Organization” (see attached sheet). In so doing, please make reference to specific elements of your curriculum vitae to support your evaluation. The criteria adopted by the World Health Assembly in resolution WHA65.15 are the following: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) a strong technical background in a health field, including experience in public health; exposure to and extensive experience in international health; demonstrable leadership skills and experience; excellent communication and advocacy skills; demonstrable competence in organizational management; sensitivity to cultural, social and political differences; strong commitment to the mission and objectives of WHO; good health condition required of all staff members of the Organization; and
(9) sufficient skill in at least one of the official working languages of the Executive Board and the Health Assembly. 2. Please state your vision of priorities and strategies for the World Health Organization.
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ANNEX 4 RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY
Rule 70 Decisions by the Health Assembly on important questions shall be made by a two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting. These questions shall include: the adoption of conventions or agreements; the approval of agreements bringing the Organization into relation with the United Nations and with intergovernmental organizations and agencies in accordance with Articles 69, 70 and 72 of the Constitution; amendments to the Constitution; decisions on the amount of the effective working budget; and decisions to suspend the voting privileges and services of a Member under Article 7 of the Constitution. Rule 70bis The Director-General of the World Health Organization shall be elected by a clear and strong majority of members present and voting as set forth in Rule 108 of these Rules of Procedure. Rule 108 The Health Assembly shall consider the Board’s nomination at a private meeting and shall come to a decision by secret ballot. 1. If the Board nominates three persons, the following procedure shall apply:
(a) If in the first ballot a candidate obtains a two-thirds majority or more of the Members present and voting, this will be considered a clear and strong majority and he or she will be appointed Director-General. If no candidate obtains the required majority, the candidate having received the least number of votes shall be eliminated. If two candidates tie for the least number of votes, a separate ballot shall be held between them and the candidate receiving the least number of votes shall be eliminated. (b) In the subsequent ballot, a candidate will be appointed Director-General if he or she obtains a two-thirds majority or more of the Members present and voting which will be considered a clear and strong majority. (c) If no candidate receives the majority indicated in subparagraph (b), a candidate will be appointed Director-General if he or she receives in the subsequent ballot a majority of the Member States of the World Health Organization or more, which will be considered a clear and strong majority. (d) If no candidate receives the majority indicated in subparagraph (c), a candidate will be appointed Director-General if he or she receives in the subsequent ballot a majority or more of the Members present and voting, which will be considered a clear and strong majority.
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Annex 4
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2.
If the Board nominates two persons, the following procedure shall apply:
(a) a candidate will be appointed Director-General if he or she obtains a two-thirds majority or more of the Members present and voting, which will be considered a clear and strong majority. (b) If no candidate receives the majority indicated in subparagraph (a), a candidate will be appointed Director-General if he or she receives in the subsequent ballot a majority of the Member States of the World Health Organization or more, which will be considered a clear and strong majority. (c) If no candidate receives the majority indicated in subparagraph (b), a candidate will be appointed Director-General if he or she receives in the subsequent ballot a majority or more of the Members present and voting, which will be considered a clear and strong majority. 3. If the Board nominates one person, the Health Assembly shall decide by a two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting. Seventeenth meeting, 29 January 2013
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