Fadia Kiwan’s chances slim for nomination to ESCWA’s USG 

Dr. Fadia Kiwan, nominated for the post of UN Under-Secretary General, disclosed yesterday that she received a letter from the UN Secretary General’s Office on Friday noting what the “great difficulty in the selection of candidates” and informing her that another person will most likely be shortlisted for the position. The letter, on the other hand, mentioned the impression Kiwan left after her interview with the UN Office team, who commended her “professionalism, knowledge and approach to the work of the United Nations”. Meanwhile, Kiwan, revealed that she has known from informal UN sources that her government’s backing for her nomination was very shy compared to other candidates. It should be noted, that foreign minister, Jibran Bassil, has assigned Lebanon’s UN Representative Nawaf Salam to follow up the file and carry out the necessary contacts to support her. However, Kiwan told L’Orient Le Jour newspaper that she did not receive solid backing from her country, pointing out that Bassil’s move was not enough, lamenting that the government could have contacted Arab officials to support up her candidature. Lebanon, Kiwan stated, has lost the opportunity to be represented at such an important platform, noting that since the establishment of ESCWA in Beirut in 1973, not one Lebanese has had the chance to assume its governance. (L’Orient Le Jour, April 11, 2017)

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