Global General

UN chief nominates new director for human settlements program

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-08-24 03:07

UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon has nominated Joan Clos to be the new executive director of the international organization's Human Settlements Program (UN- HABITAT), UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters in New York Monday.

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The secretary-general chose Clos, who was previously mayor of Barcelona and Spain's ambassador to Turkey, to take over the UN agency that works to provide adequate shelter for all and promotes environmental sustainability in town and cities.

However, for Clos to become executive director, a position at the level of under-secretary-general, the General Assembly must provide approval by vote.

"The secretary-general trusts that the General Assembly will elect the nominee," Nesirky said.

Clos would serve a four-year term, beginning on October 18, 2010 and ending on October 17, 2014, and replace the outgoing executive director, Anna Tibaijuka.  

Tibaijuka has ignited some controversy recently due to her criticism of Ban in a confidential letter dated August 10, which was published on Turtle Bay, a Foreign Policy.com blog, on Friday. Turtle Bay is where the world body is located on the east side of Manhattan, New York.

In the letter, Tibaijuka said that Ban's inability to appoint a successor for Tibaijuka's position within a reasonable time frame has created a troubling leadership vacuum in UN-HABITAT. She also expressed her concern that Ban had not taken her suggestions into account while carrying out recruitment for her replacement.