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RI misses chance to run for UN top post
Indonesia’s hope to chair the UN climate body waned as it lacked an eligible candidate
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Indonesia’s hope to chair the UN climate body waned as it lacked an eligible candidate.
The UN requires executive secretary post candidates of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which needs filling after Yvo de Boer’s resignation, to show they have past experience in leading an institution with at least 150 international staff and a budget of at least US$100 million.
The government did not make an official statement on the competition Wednesday, the deadline for countries to submit their candidates.
“If we do not submit a name, this means we will not join the race,” National Council for Climate Change (DNPI) chairman Rachmat Witoelar told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Rachmat, former environment minister, declined to say that Indonesia did not join the race because Indonesia lacked an eligible candidate. Rachmat was one of the strong candidates from Indonesia partly due to his role in leading the UNFCCC’s Conference of Parties (COP) 13 in Bali in 2007.
A source, told the Post that Indonesia had no candidate who had experience with an 150-staff member institution. “The UNFCCC requires candidates have experience in dealing with this number, which hampers many candidates eligibility from developing nations,” the official, who requested anonymity, said.
The recruitment process for Indonesian candidates involved selection by Coordinating Public Welfare Minister Agung Laksono and the Foreign Ministry.
“As far as I know, we have not assessed candidates for the post,” Coordinating Public Welfare secretary Indroyono Susilo told the Post.
De Boer announced his resignation in February. He will leave the UN office in July, just months before negotiators from 190 countries will gather again to hammer out a long-delayed binding treaty on emission cut targets.
The secretariat of UNFCCC located in Bonn, Germany, currently employs 200 international staff. Among other issues, the talk aims to prepare official documents for discussion on the COP on climate change.
The new executive secretary chief will be appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in consultation with the COP.
As of March, Costa Rica, India and South Africa are among countries that have announced their
interest in racing the climate-change post.
Indian environment secretary Vijay Sharma and South African Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk first made the public announcement to race the post. Costa Rica planned to nominate its lead climate negotiator Christiana Figueres, who has had a long career in the UNFCCC.
