Kemal Dervis to head UN's 3 billion dollar development program
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Yesterday the United Nations (UN) announced the appointment of the Republican People's (CHP) Party's Istanbul MP Kemal Dervis to the head of the UN's Development Program (UNDP). Dervis' appointment will be officialized by the authorization of the UN's board.
UN General Secretary Kofi Annan's spokesperson, Stefane Dujarric, said that a letter to the UNDP from the General Secretariat will ask that Dervis be placed as the leader of the UNDP for a four year term. The other candidates short-listed for the UNDP appointment were Norwegian Development President Hilde Johnson and Japanese Foreign Minister Aide Kaoru Eshekawa.
Third man in line at the UN
Assuming Dervis' appointment is confirmed, he becomes the third in line at the UN, after General Secretary Kofi Annan and Annan's top aide Louis Frechette. The UNDP currently has a 3 billion dollar budget, though according to Dervis, this needs to be raised to a 50 billion dollar level.
Words of praise for Dervis
UN spokesperson Dujarric said that Dervis has had much experience and success guiding global economic initiatives, and that for this reason, the UN General Secretariat chose him from many formidable candidates for the position. Dujarric also stressed that Dervis had displayed a combined practical and intellectual success in the areas of international finance and development, and that his desire to confront global poverty combined with his leadership skills also motivated the UN choice of Dervis for the job.
Dujarric said in his statement that the UN General Secretariat has absolute trust that Dervis will carry on the UNDP's reform programs like his predecessor Mark Malloch Brown. He also signalled that Dervis would work closely with Oxford's Global Economic Leadership Program as well as Washington DC's Global Development Center.
First congratulations come from FM Gul
The first person from the Turkish government to officially congratulate Dervis on his new job was Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who had just returned from Luxembourg on hearing the news from New York. FM Gul called to pass on his wishes to Dervis, expressing how pleased Turkey was to have a Turk reach such a high level within the United Nations.
Dervis to resign from TBMM position
CHP Party Istanbul MP Kemal Dervis will be required to resign from his position in the Turkish Parliament (TBMM) now that he has been offered the UNDP position. As soon as the UN General Secretariat confirms his placement, Dervis will serve his papers of resignation to the TBMM.