CANDIDATE FOR UNESCO DIRECTOR-GENERAL

From left to right:

1. Nouréini TIDJANI-SERPOS (Benin)
2. Farouk HOSNY (Egypt)
3. Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (Austria)
4. Ina MARČIULIONYTĖ (Lithuania)
5. The Chairman of UNESCO’s Executive Board, Ambassador Olabiyi Babalola Joseph Yaï (Benin)
6. Ivonne JUEZ de A. BAKI (Ecuador)
7. Mohammed BEDJAOUI (Algeria)
8. Irina Gueorguieva BOKOVA (Bulgarie)
9. Alexander Vladimirovich YAKOVENKO (Russian Federation)
10. Sospeter Mwijarubi MUHONGO (United Republic of Tanzania)

The UNESCO website has confirmed that Irina Bokova has won the Executive Board election to be Director General of UNESCO.

Read the official notification of the selection.

I have three independent unofficial reports from reliable sources that Irina Bokova received 31 votes to 27 votes for Farouk Hosny in the fifth round of voting for the position of UNESCO Director General. Having received the majority of votes from the 58 members of the Executive Board, her name will be forwarded to the General Conference.

Read:

• Bulgarian New UNESCO Leader Irina Bokova Vows Reforms
• WHO IS WHO: Bulgaria UNESCO Chief Candidate Irina Bokova
• Irina Gueorguieva Bokova, nueva directora general de la Unesco
• Bulgarian beats Egyptian for top Unesco job
• Unesco - Finalement la Bulgare Bokova bat le controversé Hosni
• After Uproar, Unesco Rejects Egyptian
• Unesco får bulgarsk chef
• UNESCO bekommt eine Chefin
• Candidato do Brasil para a Unesco é derrotado
• Egypt Intellectuals: Jewish Lobby Elected Bulgarian Bokova UNESCO Head
• Polêmico candidato egípcio perde eleição na Unesco
• فاروق حسنى يخسر رئاسة اليونسكو أمام «بوكوفا» البلغارية ‏
• Egyptian Candidate Loses UNESCO Vote to Bulgarian
• After Uproar, Unesco Rejects Egyptian
  
• Farouk Hosni accuse l'Unesco d'être "politisée"
• Comment la Bulgare Irina Bokova a été élue à l'Unesco
• Egypt bloggers sound out on Hosni’s UNESCO bid
• Bulgarian defeats favourite in UNESCO election
• Egyptian official blames Jews for UNESCO loss
• Califican de "honorable" la batalla de Faruk Hosni para
  

IFEX MEMBERS CONCERNED ABOUT CANDIDATE FOR UNESCO DIRECTOR-GENERAL

Negotiations to select the next Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) underway in France must deeply consider free speech and press freedom values of candidates, report Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) and other IFEX members. But according to
RSF and ANHRI, the Egyptian candidate has been a key player for decades in government censorship, press freedom violations and arrest of bloggers.

The nine candidates being considered are: Ms Ina Marčiulionytė (Lithuania); Mr Mohammed Bedjaoui (Algeria); Ms Irina Gueorguieva Bokova (Bulgaria); Mr Farouk Hosni (Egypt); Mr Sospeter Mwijarubi Muhongo (United Republic of Tanzania); Mr Alexander Vladimirovich Yakovenko (Russian Federation); Ms Ivonne Juez de A. Baki (Ecuador); Ms Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Austria); and Mr Nouréini Tidjani-Serpos (Benin).

News reports say Hosni, Minister of Culture for over twenty years, is the frontrunner. According to RSF, "Hosni has been one of the leading protagonists of government censorship in the Arab Republic of Egypt... constantly seeking to control both press freedom and his fellow citizens'
right to freedom of information."

Yet, "UNESCO's mandate includes promoting free expression and press freedom as basic human rights, encouraging media independence and diversity as preconditions for democratisation, and supporting the free flow of information, including on the Internet," says RSF.

The Egyptian government owns 99 percent of the country's newspaper retail outlets and has a monopoly of newspaper printing, and there are risks to being outspoken. "A total of 32 articles in different laws - including the criminal code, the press law, the publications law, etc. - stipulate
penalties for the media," reports RSF. There is tight regulation of Internet use and violations are punishable by imprisonment, says RSF.

RSF then met in Paris last week with Hosni, saying he voiced a "determination to defend the freedom of the media" and "to reinforce UNESCO's actions in this domain" if he were elected. RSF relayed its concern about free expression in Egypt and, in particular, the continuing
detention of two bloggers.

An opinion piece in "The Wall Street Journal" states that Hosni is unsuitable to lead UNESCO: "One can only imagine the peace in the minds of thousands of Egyptian writers, bloggers, artists, musicians, filmmakers, lecturers, broadcasters and other culture-purveyors who have been tortured, harassed, imprisoned or banned in Egypt since Mr. Hosni took office in 1987."

The Egyptian media and blogosphere have been alive with the debate. "The Daily News Egypt" writes, "The concerns over Farouk Hosni's potential ineligibility for the position of Director of UNESCO have arisen due to his anti-Semitic statements and suspicions of corruption." Hosni famously stated to parliament in May 2008 that "he would burn any Israeli books if
he found them in Egyptian libraries."

In an open letter to UNESCO published in June, members of the Coordinating Committee of Press Freedom Organizations lauded the vital contributions of the outgoing UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura for "consolidating UNESCO as a force for freedom of expression and to furthering free speech and press freedom values." The letter was signed by five IFEX members: World Press Freedom Committee, Committee to Protect Journalists, Inter
American Press Association, the International Press Institute, and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers.

The Coordinating Committee members called upon UNESCO member-states to focus on a commitment to freedom of expression as the core criteria in considering the choice of the next Director-General. This includes a commitment to fostering independent news media, selecting independent journalists widely respected by their colleagues as members of the Jury for
UNESCO's annual World Press Freedom Prize, and speaking out publicly against assassinations of news media personnel and policies that obstruct the work of the news media.

Other IFEX members are sending letters of concern to Board members.

Representatives from 58 nations who make up UNESCO's Executive Board begin voting on 17 September. If a candidate does not win a simple majority, there will be up to five rounds of voting that will finish on 23 September 2009. Following this decision, a final vote will be taken by all members of the UNESCO General Conference in October.

Related stories on IFEX.org: - UNESCO urged to continue defending freedom of expression worldwide
(WPFC): http://www.ifex.org/international/2009/06/18/letter_to_unesco/

More on the web: - Farouk Hosni responds to Reporters Without Borders (RSF):
http://www.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=34399
- Save UNESCO:
http://saveunesco.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/unesco-elections-2009-the-stakes/
- Election of new UNESCO Director General (UNESCO):
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46368&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
- The U.N.'s new censor (The Wall Street Journal):
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204731804574392190566142468.html
- Le Monde keeps pressure on UNESCO (Daily News):
http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=24533