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| Dr Migiro |
The UN deputy secretary general, Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, who has completed her five-year stint at the global body’s headquarters in New York will be in office until the end of June, this year.
The UN secretary general, Mr Ban Ki-moon, confirmed Dr Migiro’s extended stay on Wednesday, saying it was to ensure continuity up to the Rio+20 conference preparations and smooth transition of his team.
The conference will take place in Brazil from June 20 to 22 to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. This will also mark the tenth anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa.
To be attended by heads of state and government, the conference will come up with a focused political document. Its objective is to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess progress to date and remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcome of major summits on sustainable development, addressing new as well as emerging challenges.
The UN is undergoing transformation that is spearheaded by Mr Ban, and Dr Migiro is taking part in it as she prepares to return home.
Addressing his first press conference of his second term in office in New York, Mr Ban said Dr Migiro had expressed her wish to step down, so as to allow him to compose a new team of senior managers for the second term.
“I wish to express my deep gratitude and appreciation to deputy secretary-general Migiro …for her unfailing support, wise counsel and dedication in handling the many challenges that have faced the UN during my first term,” said Mr Ban.
The return of Dr Migiro has ignited debate on the social media, where one school of thought argues that her contract was not renewed because of non-performance.
However, on Monday the UN Resident Coordinator, Mr Alberic Kacou, described as normal the departure of Dr Migiro as the organisation’s deputy secretary general.Rating her performance highly, he said Dr Migiro was leaving her post “in good faith” and “had done a good job.”
Her return home has sparked fresh speculation on who will emerge victorious in the hotly-contested slot of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) candidate in the next presidential election.
Dr Migiro’s name has cropped up in the list of prospective presidential candidates in 2015, when President Jakaya Kikwete’s second and last five-year term comes to an end.
The race is likely to be tough, with party primaries expected to be heated following political divisions in the ruling party and emergence of candidates who attack each other openly.
Dr Migiro appears to have an edge, however, with some analysts speculating that CCM’s top brass may decide to go with a high profile member of her calibre to become the next president and first woman to hold that seat since independence in 1961.
Though she has not openly indicated an interest in the presidency, there is still time for the diplomat to weigh her chances and possibly tip the balance in the dominant party.
Source: The Citizen reported by Lucas Liganga
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