Senior leadership appointments

From Peacekeeping references
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Under the United Nations Charter (articles 97 and 101), the Secretary-General has the authority to appoint staff, including in senior leadership positions.

General guidance

Staff regulation 4.5 (a) states that

Appointment of Under-Secretaries-General and of Assistant Secretaries-General shall normally be for a period of up to five years, subject to prolongation or renewal.

In its resolution 46/232, the General Assembly specified that,

as a general rule, no national of a Member State should succeed a national of that State in a senior post and there should be no monopoly on senior posts by nationals of any State or group of States

Additional considerations

Several senior leadership positions within the United Nations were established by the General Assembly with specific provisions related to term in office or selection process. This is a non-exhaustive list of these positions.

Position Entity type Rank Term Mandate Year Process Notes
Executive Director, UNICEF Funds and programmes USG General Assembly resolution 57 (I), paragraph 3 1946 Appointment by Secretary-General in consultation with the UNICEF Executive Board Position has been held by an American since establishment of UNICEF
Commissioner-General, UNRWA Funds and programmes USG General Assembly resolution 302 (IV), paragraph 9 1949 Appointment by Secretary-General in consultation with the Governments represented on the Advisory Commission Position was renamed from "Director" in 1962
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Funds and programmes[1] USG 5 years General Assembly resolution 428 (V)
General Assembly resolution 727 (VIII)		 1950 Election by the General Assembly on nomination by the Secretary-General
Administrator, UNDP Funds and programmes USG 4 years, renewable General Assembly 1240 (XIII), Part B, paragraph 22 1958 Appointment by the Secretary-General and confirmation by the General Assembly
Executive Director, WFP Funds and programmes USG 5 years, renewable once General Assembly [https://undocs.org/A/RES/1714(XVI) resolution 1714 (XVI) 1961 Appointment by the Secretary-General and the Director-General of FAO following consultation with the Executive Board[2] Position has been held by an American since 1992
Secretary-General, UNCTAD Secretariat entity USG General Assembly resolution 1995 (XIX) 1965 Appointment by the Secretary-General and confirmation by the General Assembly
Director-General, UNFPA Funds and programmes USG 4 years General Assembly resolution 2211 (XXI)
General Assembly resolution 2815 (XXVI)
General Assembly resolution 3019 (XXVII)
General Assembly resolution 64/219		 1966 Appointment by the Secretary-General in consultation with the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board Originally appointed by the Administrator, UNDP
Rector, UNU Related entity USG 5 years, renewable once General Assembly resolution 2951 (XXVII)
General Assembly resolution 3081 (XXVIII)		 1972 Appointment by the Secretary-General, with the concurrence of the Director-General of UNESCO, of a candidate from a panel recommended by a Nominating Committee
Director-General, UNEP Secretariat entity USG 4 years General Assembly resolution 2997 (XXVII) 1972 Election by the General Assembly on nomination by the Secretary-General
High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Secretariat entity USG 4 years General Assembly resolution 48/141, paragraph 2 1993 Appointment by the Secretary-General and approved by the General Assembly
Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) Secretariat entity USG 5 years; no renewal General Assembly resolution 48/218 B, paragraph 5(b) 1994 Appointment by Secretary-General and approved by the General Assembly SG requested exceptional two-year extension of term for Fatoumata Ndiaye to 24 October 2026[3]
Executive Director, UNAIDS Funds and programmes USG ECOSOC resolution 1994/24 1994 Appointment by the Secretary-General upon the recommendation of the co-sponsors (ILO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNODC, WFP, WHO and the World Bank)
Executive Secretary, UNFCCC Related organization USG 3 years, renewable FCCC Conference of the Parties decision 14/CP.1 1995 Appointment by the Secretary-General following consultation with the Conference of the Parties
Deputy Secretary-General Secretariat entity DSG[4] Not to exceed term of the SG General Assembly resolution 52/12 B 1997 Appointment by the Secretary-General following consultations with Member States
Executive Director, UN Habitat Funds and programmes USG 4 years with one renewal General Assembly resolution 56/206, Section I.A, paragraph 2 2002 Election by General Assembly on nomination by the Secretary-General
Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security (DSS) Secretariat entity USG 5 years; no renewal General Assembly resolution 59/276, section XI, paragraph 22 2004 SG requested exceptional two-year extension of term for Gilles Michaud to 30 June 2026[5]
Assistant Secretary-General, Peacebuilding Support (PBSO) Secretariat entity ASG 5 years; no renewal General Assembly resolution 62/236, para 69-70 2007 Appointment by Secretary-General following consultations with Member States SG requested exceptional two-year extension of term for Oscar Fernandez-Taranco to 31 October 2021[6]
Assistant Secretary-General, Ombudsman (UNOMS) Secretariat entity ASG 5 terms with one renewal General Assembly resolution 62/228
General Assembly resolution 65/251		 2007 Appointment by Secretary-General from a list of candidates compiled and recommended by selection committee[7] Upon completion of his or her term of office, the United Nations Ombudsman shall not be eligible for other employment within the Secretariat [8]

Position has been held by an American since its creation
Executive Director, UN-Women Funds and programs USG 4 years with one renewal General Assembly resolution 64/289, para 69 2010 Appointment by Secretary-General following consultations with Member States

Titles

The UN uses a variety of titles to denote the representatives of the Secretary-General in the field, including special and personal envoys and special advisers, as follows: [9]

  • Representatives of the Secretary-General serve at his discretion at the level and title designated by him. Such designation can be prescribed by the Security Council or the General Assembly, and often the Secretary-General advises the Security Council of the appointment of his special representatives for Security Council-mandated peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions
  • A Special Representative of the Secretary-General is usually designated at the Under-Secretary-General level as head of a field mission, in accordance with a Security Council or General Assembly mandate. A Deputy Representative of the Secretary-General is appointed at the Assistant Secretary-General level, or lower
  • A Special Envoy of the Secretary-General is assigned at the Under-Secretary-General level to undertake a special mission relating to matters of which the Security Council or the General Assembly are seized. An Envoy of the Secretary-General is assigned at the Assistant Secretary-General level, or lower
  • A Personal Representative of the Secretary-General is assigned at any level to attend specific international conferences, meetings and negotiations on behalf of the Secretary-General
  • A Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, normally at the Under-Secretary-General or Assistant Secretary-General level, is assigned to advise the Secretary-General in regard to specific subject matters on an ad hoc basis, normally from United Nations Headquarters

All of the above can serve either full time or when actually employed, depending on the requirements, as determined by the Secretary-General.

See also

  • United Nations system
  • Joint Inspection Unit. "Selection and conditions of service of Executive Heads in the United Nations system organizations". JIU/REP/2009/8
  • Joint Inspection Unit. "Transparency in the selection and appointment of senior managers in the United Nations Secretariat". JIU/REP/2011/2

References

  1. ↑ UNHCR was previously considered an organizational unit of the Secretariat and not a subsidiary organ. See ST/SGB/1997/5 Organization of the Secretariat.
  2. ↑ WFP General Regulations, Article VII
  3. ↑ A/79/286
  4. ↑ A/51/950/Add.1, paragraph 6
  5. ↑ A/78/785
  6. ↑ A/73/946
  7. ↑ ST/SGB/2016/7
  8. ↑ Ibid.
  9. ↑ A/62/7/Add.29
Retrieved from "https://casquebleu.org/index.php?title=Senior_leadership_appointments&oldid=1034"