Julien Harneis to Coordinate United Nations Ebola Response in Central Africa
Julien Harneis will serve as the coordinator for the United Nations' response to the Ebola outbreak in central Africa. The administration announced that the United Nations is also beginning the process of selecting its next secretary-general. This selection process is notoriously difficult, requiring a candidate to secure at least nine votes from the 15-member U.N. Security Council while avoiding a veto from any of the five permanent members. A report by the 1 for 8 Billion campaign suggests that all five permanent members—the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, and Russia—have historically attempted to compromise the independence of candidates through backroom deals. To ensure a more effective and transparent selection process, the campaign advocates for candidates to resist trading favors with powerful countries. By reducing the pressure to promise too many senior appointments to the permanent members, the United Nations can appoint a leader who can act with greater integrity and build a team based on merit rather than patronage.