Decision taken by correspondence and related remarks and comments

Decision concerning the arrangements for the 344th Session of the Governing Body, including for the hearings of candidates and the election and appointment of the Director-General

Record of decisions | 07 March 2022
The Governing Body, by correspondence:

(a) decided to extend the Special arrangements and rules of procedure applicable to virtual sessions of the Governing Body to the 344th Session with the modifications contained in Appendix A to document GB.344/INS/2;

(b) requested its Officers to keep the situation under review to determine, in consultation with the tripartite Screening Group, whether and to what extent the presence of tripartite constituents could be increased for the Session;

(c) decided that the hearings of candidates and the election of the Director-General in private sitting should take place in person, and approved the process and arrangements contained in Appendix B to document GB.344/INS/2 for the hearings of candidates and the election and appointment of the Director-General;

(d) requested its Officers to prepare proposals for a new decision if at any time before or during the session the sanitary and travel situation makes it necessary to provide for the remote participation of Governing Body members in the hearings of candidates or the election and appointment of the Director-General; and

(e) decided to extend the duration of the 344th Session of the Governing Body until Saturday, 26 March 2022.

(GB.344/INS/2, paragraph 10)

Remarks

The Governing Body was consulted between 28 February and 7 March 2022 on the arrangements set out in document GB.344/INS/2. As no consensus was reached on the adoption of the draft decision, the Officers of the Governing Body, after consulting the tripartite Screening Group, determined that the draft decision concerning special arrangements be submitted to a ballot by only the regular members of the Governing Body on 3 March. At the close of that ballot at midnight on 7 March 2022, the Governing Body adopted the above decision with 27 votes in favour, 13 votes against and 16 abstentions.

The list of voting Governing Body members below will be included in the Minutes of the session together with a summary of the comments received during the first consultation and during the ballot.

Results of the ballot and comment

Comments received in the context of the first consultation