CAMPAIGN: Appointment process for new UNICEF chief

Following the announcement by Ann Veneman, the Executive Director of UNICEF, that she will not be seeking a second five-year term in the top post at the agency, CRIN once again reiterates its call for a fair, transparent appointment process to select the best calibre candidate.

The role is one of a string of key global child rights positions identified by CRIN as part of our campaign to stimulate open and transparent appointment processes in order to identify leaders with the appropriate commitment, skills and experience to work effectively for children’s rights.

Find out more about the campaign here

UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to “advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.” The Executive Director oversees an annual budget of more than $3 billion, and manages a staff of 10,000 in more than 150 countries. The Executive Director has managerial and strategic responsibility for the organisation, and reports to the Executive Board.

The organisation’s founding charter, from 1946, simply states that “the Secretary-General of the UN shall appoint the Executive Director in consultation with the Executive Board.” There are no other requirements or directives regarding the appointment, although since UNICEF's establishment in 1947, all chief executives have been from the United States.

In the Autumn of 2009, we sent a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UNICEF's Executive Board. Read the letter here. The letter included the signatures of more than 250 organisations asking that:

1. a description of the qualifications required be developed and made public
2. the process includes consultation with all stakeholders, including civil society, and
3. there is a set timetable for nominations, shortlists and final selection.

Signatories believe the following criteria to be essential:

1. experience in the field of human rights
2. the ability and willingness to engage with children
3. a commitment to engaging with civil society
4. a willingness to champion sensitive or unpopular issues of significance to children's lives/rights, and
5. proven experience in advancing the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

We will be writing to the Secretary-General and the Executive Board again to reiterate our call for a fair and robust appointment procedure.

The recent appointment process for a new UNESCO Director-General demonstrates that the heads of UN agencies can be appointed with some degree of scrutiny and transparency. Nine candidatures, nominated by Member States, were widely publicised, including on UNESCO's website. These candidates were then interviewed by UNESCO's Executive Board, and board members subsequently voted, by secret ballot, for their preferred candidate, According to an unwritten rule, the Director-General position rotates among countries and regions, although this has raised accusations that a candidate's qualifications are less important than “identity politics and the quota system.”

We will soon be embarking on the next stage of the campaign, which concerns the election of members to the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

Further information

• More about the campaign