RESOLUTION OF THE WHO REGIONAL COMMITTEE FOR SOUTH-EAST ASIA SEA/RC70/R3
AMENDMENT TO RULE 49 OF THE RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE WHO REGIONAL COMMITTEE FOR SOUTH-EAST ASIA AND PROCESS FOR THE NOMINATION OF THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR THE SOUTH-EAST ASIA REGION The Regional Committee, Recalling the discussions held by the Regional Committee since its Sixty-fifth session on the modalities to increase the fairness and transparency of the process for the nomination of the Regional Director, also recalling its resolution SEA/RC65/RC1 by which the Regional Committee amended its Rules of Procedure in order to improve the effectiveness of the procedure for nominating the Regional Director, Recalling World Health Assembly decision WHA69(8) on increasing harmonization across the Regional Committees in relation to the nomination of Regional Directors in accordance with decision WHA65(9) (2012), and to invite each Regional Committee to consider measures to improve the process of nomination of Regional Directors taking into consideration best practices from the six regions, Recognizing and endorsing the recommendations of the Working Group constituted in accordance with decision SEA/RC69(1) to further review the measures adopted by the other regional offices and Regional Committees of the World Health Organization in aligning the process of nomination of the Regional Director, Acknowledging that the overall process of nomination, including the activities carried out by candidates and by Member States nominating or supporting those candidates, will benefit from agreed principles of good conduct, 1. ADOPTS the Code of Conduct for the Nomination of the Regional Director of the South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organization, contained in Annex 1 to this resolution;
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CALLS UPON Member States to implement and abide by the Code of Conduct, to make it widely known and easily accessible, and to bring it to the attention of persons they wish to propose for the post of Regional Director in future nomination processes; REQUESTS the Regional Director to support the implementation of the Code of Conduct as envisaged in the Code; FURTHER REQUESTS the Regional Director to impress upon the Secretariat of the Regional Office the importance of complying with the obligations laid out in the Staff Regulations and Rules with regard to the conduct to be observed during the process of nomination of the Regional Director, as provided in the section on internal candidates in the Code of Conduct; DECIDES that the Code of Conduct will become effective as of the closure of this Session; APPROVES the standard form for a Curriculum Vitae, as set out in Annex 2 to this resolution, which shall be used henceforth by Member States proposing persons for the post of Regional Director as the sole document to be submitted; 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 Director-General to verify that this limit is not exceeded; and ADOPTS the amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Regional Committee for South-East Asia Region set out in Annex 3 to this resolution, to be effective from the closure of this Session.
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Seventh session, 10 September 2017
Annex 1
Draft Code of Conduct for the Nomination of the Regional Director of the South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organization This Code of Conduct (Code) aims to promote an open, fair, equitable and transparent process for the nomination for the Regional Director of the South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organization (WHO). In seeking to improve the overall process, this Code addresses a number of areas, including submission of proposals and the conduct of electoral campaigns by Member States and candidates. The Code is a political understanding reached by the Member States of the SouthEast Asia Region. It recommends desirable behaviour by Member States and candidates with regard to the nomination of the Regional Director to increase the fairness, 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. The Code builds on, and reinforces, the provisions pertaining to nomination of Regional Director for the South-East Asia Region as set out in Rule 49 of the Rules of Procedure of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia. A. General requirements I. Basic principles The whole nomination process, as well as electoral campaign activities related to it, should be guided both by the provisions of the Rules of Procedure of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia and by the following principles that further the legitimacy of the process and of its result: Fairness Equity Transparency Good faith Dignity, mutual respect and moderation Non-discrimination Merit II. Authority of the Regional Committee and its Rules of Procedure 1. Member States accept the authority of the Regional Committee for South-East Asia Region to conduct the nomination of the Regional Director in accordance with its Rules of Procedure and the relevant resolutions of the Regional Committee. 2. Member States that propose persons for the post of Regional Director have the right to promote their candidature. 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 nomination of the Regional Director contained in the Rules of Procedure of the Regional Committee as well as in relevant resolutions and decisions of the Regional Committee.
III. Responsibilities 1. It is the responsibility of Member States and candidates to observe and respect this Code. 2. Member States acknowledge that the process of nomination of the Regional Director should be fair, open, transparent, equitable and based on merits of the individual candidates. They should make this Code publicly known and easily accessible. B. Requirements concerning the different steps of the nomination process I. Submission of proposals 1. When proposing the name of one or more persons for the post of Regional Director, Member States will be requested by the Director-General to submit the necessary particulars of each person’s qualification and experience using the standard form for a Curriculum Vitae approved through resolution SEA/RC70/R3. II. Electoral campaign 1. This Code applies to electoral activities related to the nomination of the Regional Director whenever they take place until the nomination by the Regional Committee. 2. All Member States and candidates should encourage and promote communication and cooperation among one another during the entire nomination 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 nomination process. 3. 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 statements or other representations that could be deemed slanderous or libellous. 4. All Member States and candidates should disclose their campaign activities (e.g. hosting of meetings, workshops, visits). Information disclosed will be posted on a dedicated page of the website of the Regional Office. 5. Member States and candidates should refrain from improperly influencing the nomination 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, when that could undermine, or be perceived as undermining, the integrity of the nomination process.
7. Member States that have proposed a candidate 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 Member States of the Region rather than through bilateral visits. 8. Member States nominating candidates for the post of the Regional Director should consider disclosing grants or aid funding for the previous two years in order to ensure full transparency and mutual confidence among Member States. 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 mechanism (regional committees, Executive Board, World Health Assembly) for meetings and other promotional activities linked to the electoral campaign. 10. Electoral promotion or propaganda under the guise of technical meetings or similar events should be avoided. 11. After the Director-General has dispatched copies of all proposals for nomination as Regional Director in accordance with the provision of Rule 49(d) of the Rules of Procedure, he/she will open on the website of WHO a password-protected question-and-answer web forum open to all Member States in the South-East Asia Region and the candidates who request to participate in such a forum. 12. After the Director-General has dispatched the names and particulars of candidates to Member States, the Regional Office will post on its website information on all candidates who so request it including their curricula vitae as received from Member States, as well as their contact information and the relevant rules and decisions points pertaining to the nomination process as Rule 49 of the Rules of Procedure of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia. The website will also provide links to individual websites of candidates upon request. Each candidate is responsible for setting up and financing his/her own web site. III. Nomination 1. The nomination of the Regional Director is conducted in private meetings of the Regional Committee in accordance with Rule 49 of the Rules of Procedure of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia. Attendance at the private meetings is prescribed by the Director-General and limited to essential Secretariat staff besides Member States. Candidates should not attend those meetings even if they form part of the delegation of their country. The votes in the private meeting are conducted by secret ballot. The results of the ballots should not be disclosed by Member States.
2. Member States should abide strictly by Rule 49 of the Rules of Procedure of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia and other applicable resolutions 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 takes place, which 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. IV. Internal candidates 1. WHO staff members, including the incumbent Regional Director, who are proposed for the post of the Regional Director are subject to the obligations contained in the WHO Staff Regulations and Rules, as well as to the guidance that may be issued from time to time by the Director-General. 2. WHO staff members who are proposed for the post of Regional Director 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 Regional Director and 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 Regional Committee may suggest that the Director-General consider applying Staff Rule 650 concerning special leave to staff members who have been proposed for the post of Regional Director.
Annex 2
Form for Curriculum Vitae Family name (surname):
First / other names:
Attach recent photograph
Gender:
Place and country of birth:
Date of birth (Day/Month/Year):
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 dependents:
Address to which correspondence should be sent:
Telephone:
Mobile Phone:
Fax:
Email: Degrees/Certificates obtained: (Please indicate here the principal degrees/certificates obtained, with dates and names of institutions. Additional pages may be added)
Knowledge of languages For language other than mother tongue, enter the appropriate number from the code below to indicate the level of your language knowledge. If no knowledge, please leave blank. Arabic Chinese English French Spanish Code : 1. Limited conversation, reading of newspapers, routine correspondences Russian
Mother tongue
Speak
Read
Write
Others (please specify)
2. Engage freely in discussions, read and write more difficult material
3. Fluent (nearly) as in mother tongue
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.
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 evaluation of your application:
Written statement 1. Please evaluate how you meet each of the “Criteria of candidates for the post of the Regional Director of the South-East Asia Region of 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 that should be used for assessing candidates for the post of Regional Director are contained in resolution SEA/RC65/R1, Annex C and are the following: i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii.
A strong technical and public health background and extensive experience in global health; Competency in organizational management; Proven historical evidence for public health leadership; Sensitiveness to cultural, social, and political differences; A strong commitment to the work of WHO; The good physical condition required of all staff members of the Organization; Commitment to personal compliance with the WHO policy on non-recruitment of smokers or other tobacco users; and Sufficient skill in the official working language of the Region
2. Please state your vision of priorities and strategies for the World Health Organization, in particular the South-East Asia Region.
Annex 3
Proposed amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Regional Committee for the South-East Asia Region Current text XI. Nomination of Regional Director Rule 49 name of one person from within the Region who has indicated willingness to act as Regional Director, submitting with the proposal particulars of the person’s qualifications and experience. Such proposals shall be sent to the Director-General so as to reach him/her not less than twelve weeks before the date fixed for the opening of the session.
Amended text XI. Nomination of Regional Director Rule 49 the name of one person from within the Region who has indicated willingness to act as Regional Director, submitting with the proposal particulars of the person’s qualifications and experience. Member States shall be mindful of the Code of Conduct adopted by the Regional Committee and shall bring it to the attention of such persons. Such proposals shall be sent to the Director-General so as to reach him/her not less than twelve weeks before the date fixed for the opening of the session.
(b) Any Member of the Region may propose the (b) Any Member of the Region may propose