For UNDP Top Post, UNICEF's Hilde Johnson, Kiwi Clark or Oil Man Akram

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/undp1hilde021009.html

UNITED NATIONS, February 10 -- The names mentioned in competition for the UN Development Program top job now include UNICEF's Number Two official, Hilde Johnson, along with UNDP's #2 Ad Melkert and New Zealand's Helen Clark, among others. The Norwegian press reports that the government in Oslo is deciding whether to "promote an American candidate" or whether "former Christian People's Party Minister Hilde Frafjord Johnson may be appropriate."

Inner City Press asked UNICEF's spokesman for comment from agency deputy Hilde Johnson on this article, "does she oppose nomination to UNDP Administrator post by her government, would she accept nomination and the job if awarded it? What is UNICEF's view?" Inner City Press also asked when the current head of UNICEF, Ann Veneman, will finally be available for a press conference at the UN.

In response, UNICEF's spokesman merely stated, "the appointment of a UNDP Administrator is not a decision in which UNICEF or its senior management have a role, so we have no comment." But Hilde Johnson is "senior management" of UNICEF, and her country's press names her as a candidate. We'll have more on this. Inner City Press asked Ban's Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe if the short list of candidates for the top UNDP top will be made public, as it was under Kofi Annan. "No," Ms. Okabe said.

The New Zealand press is abuzz with the candidacy of former prime minister Helen Clark, saying the only blockage may be an American nomination for the post. These articles miss, however, that there are developing world candidates for the post, not only from South Africa, but also Ban Ki-moon's current chief of staff Vijay Nambiar, and even former Pakistani Ambassador Munir Akram, whose taken up a post with a Houston-based oil company. UNDP is involved in the mining sector, from Zimbabwe through Haiti to Niger. We've put in questions to UNDP and will report on responses soon.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/undp1hilde021009.html