UNESCO vote: Arab or Chinese to take the helm?

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UNESCO, the UN organization tasked with safeguarding cultural heritage and historic sites, meets in Paris on October 4-18 to pick a new leader, among other things, and China will be hoping its own candidate gets the nod. Here are a few things to look out for.

And the next director-general is…

Eight candidates are in the running, from places as diverse as Iraq, Lebanon, Vietnam and Azerbaijan. But there are a few front-runners: Tang Qian of China, UNESCO’s assistant director-general for education; former culture ministers Audrey Azoulay of France and Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari, from Qatar; and Moushira Khattab, an Egyptian career diplomat and ex-minister of state for family and population.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova (C) during her visit at the Sun Temple at Modhera, India on September 2, 2017. /VCG Photo

Whoever is chosen will follow Irina Bokova, a former Bulgarian foreign minister who became the first woman and first eastern European to lead the organization in 2009.

A director-general can serve up to two four-year terms.

Arab chances

Of the eight candidates, four are from Arab countries. This is in line with expectations that the post will go to an Arab nation. Indeed, of the 10 directors-general in UNESCO’s 72-year history, none have come from the Middle East. Eight have come from Europe or the Americas, with just one each from Asia and Africa.

Why is this post important?

Vineyard terraces in the Lavaux region of Switzerland, a UNESCO W‍orld Heritage Site, on October 4, 2015. /VCG Photo

UNESCO is best known for its World Heritage Sites list, tracking sites of cultural, historical and natural significance. But its tasks also include promoting education and scientific development worldwide.

Critics have complained that the organization has become complacent, overly political and has failed to protect heritage sites against mass tourism and urban development, as well as conflict.

Earlier this year, Israel further slashed funding to the UN over a UNESCO decision to name the old town of Hebron, in the West Bank, a Palestinian world heritage site. The ongoing Israel-Palestinian quarrel at UNESCO is another reason why the potential election of an Arab director-general will be closely watched.

Children are seen in a street of the Old City of Hebron, West Bank on July 8, 2017. /VCG Photo

Why is it a big deal for China?

China has the second most World Heritage Sites in the world after Italy, according to UNESCO’s latest tally. Culture is also an issue close to Chinese hearts – in a 2014 speech to UNESCO, President Xi Jinping noted that “without… the promotion and prosperity of culture, the Chinese dream will not come true.”

Meanwhile, leadership of an organization like UNESCO would fit in well with Beijing’s soft power goals, as it strives to take on more international responsibility to match its standing as the world’s second largest economy.

Crowds visit the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City or Imperial Palace, in Beijing on October 2, 2017. /VCG Photo

Who is China’s candidate?

As a top ranking UNESCO envoy, Tang Qian is already familiar with the inner workings of the organization. In a China Daily editorial last week, he urged: “UNESCO needs comprehensive reform. Its programs need to be much more focused. Administrative procedures have to increase transparency and accountability.”

Staking his claims as a reformer, he also called for new ways to secure funding and for more attention to UNESCO’s education agenda, especially in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education‍ Tang Qian. /UNESCO/Christelle Alix Photo

Voting procedure

The new director-general will be decided by a vote of UNESCO’s 58-member executive board. The first round of voting will be held on October 9 and will take place behind closed doors and via secret ballot.

If no clear winner emerges after the first round of voting, a second round will be held the next day and so on. If by October 13, no candidate has obtained a clear majority, a final vote will be held between the two candidates who received the most votes on the previous day. In the event that both receive an equal number of votes, the meeting’s chairman can draw lots to determine the winner.

The chosen candidate will then need to be confirmed at the UNESCO General Conference in November.

Other issues

South Koreans rally around a bronze statue symbolizing 'comfort women,' - who were forced to work in wartime Japanese military brothels - in Seoul on June 21, 2017. /VCG Photo

Besides electing a new director-general, UNESCO will also decide at this meeting whether to include documents submitted by China, South Korea and other countries and regions on “comfort women” – held as sex slaves by the Japanese army during the Second World War - in its Memory of the World list.

A previous attempt prompted Japan last year to withhold funding to UNESCO. China hit back at this last month saying it “demands Japan reflect on its history of aggression, and take a correct attitude towards and do not smear or meddle with the application."

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