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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 097114 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KHIV UNGA EAID
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE REQUEST: UNAIDS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 
 
¶1.  (U) This is an action request, see paras 4-7. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Context: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will 
select a new Executive Director for the Joint United Nations 
Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) this fall to replace incumbent 
Dr. Peter Piot (Belgium).  Ban has asked the UNAIDS 
co-sponsoring agencies to provide him with an unranked short 
list of three candidates, including at least one woman.  The 
UNAIDS Board, which we currently chair, will provide input to 
the UNAIDS co-sponsoring agencies during an extraordinary 
session in Geneva on October 2, but the final decision will 
be made by Secretary General Ban. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Although a short list of candidates is not yet 
available, we are aware of two serious contenders for the 
position: Mr. Michel Sidibe (Mali) and Ms. Debrework Zewdie 
(Ethiopia).  We strongly support Mr. Sidibe, who is currently 
Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS.  Mr. Sidibe is a proven 
leader in the international health arena, a strong proponent 
of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), 
and we believe he is the best candidate to carry forward the 
President's legacy on HIV/AIDS.  At this point in time, his 
candidacy has broad support from the UN Security Council 
Permanent Members, Latin America, and the Middle East. 
Africa is not yet united behind a single candidate, as 
Ethiopia is vigorously promoting the candidacy of Ms. Zewdie, 
Director of the World Bank's Global AIDS Program. 
 
¶4.  (U) Posts are requested to lobby host governments to 
support Mr. Sidibe's candidacy, drawing from the points in 
paragraph 5.  Governments that do support Sidibe's candidacy 
should be urged to convey this to Secretary-General Ban 
Ki-moon at as high a level as possible in the next few weeks. 
 Additional post-specific points are provided in paragraph 6. 
 Translated points are not available.  Posts are requested to 
report results of this demarche by September 17 so that we 
can ensure USG officials have up-to-date information prior to 
the opening of the UN General Assembly on September 22. 
 
¶5.  (U) Suggested talking points for all posts: 
 
-- The United States is deeply committed to combating 
HIV/AIDS worldwide, working with both bilateral and 
multilateral partners to advance our shared health and 
development goals. 
 
-- The UN system is a critical partner in this effort.  We 
 
STATE 00097114  002 OF 003 
 
 
particularly value the contribution that the Joint United 
Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has made in keeping 
AIDS on the political agenda, mobilizing resources, promoting 
the engagement of civil society partners, and providing 
technical assistance at the country-level under the 
leadership of Executive Director Peter Piot (Belgium). 
 
-- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will appoint a new 
Executive Director in mid-October to replace Dr. Piot, who 
will step down at the end of December 2008. 
 
-- We believe it is essential that Secretary General Ban 
select the strongest possible candidate to lead UNAIDS and 
build on its successes. 
 
-- We believe Mr. Michel Sidibe (Mali) is the strongest of 
the candidates known to us.  He has a proven record of 
leadership and success in fighting AIDS at the global level, 
including most recently as Deputy Executive Director of 
UNAIDS. 
 
-- Mr. Sidibe has proven his ability to manage UNAIDS' unique 
structure, bringing the entire international community, 
including the ten UNAIDS co-sponsoring agencies and NGO's as 
well as Member States together on key issues to deliver 
results on the ground. 
 
-- Given this background, Mr. Sidibe's candidacy has support 
from a broad range of countries around the world, UNAIDS' 
co-sponsoring agencies, and non-governmental stakeholders. 
Mr. Sidibe's support base, which we believe is the broadest 
of all the candidates, will enable him to lead UNAIDS from a 
position of strength. 
 
-- We urge your government to support Mr. Sidibe's candidacy 
and to reach out to Secretary General Ban at as high a level 
as possible in the coming weeks.  We will be raising this 
with Secretary General Ban on the margins of the United 
Nations General Assembly in late September. 
 
¶6.  (U) Post-specific points to supplement the points 
provided above: 
 
EMBASSY PARIS: 
 
-- We understand that Mr. Kouchner plans to convey your 
government's support for Mr. Sidibe's candidacy to Secretary 
General Ban.  We will also be lobbying Secretary General Ban 
at the highest levels. 
 
-- We are concerned that lack of unified African support for 
 
STATE 00097114  003 OF 003 
 
 
Mr. Sidibe could hurt his candidacy, and urge your government 
to help build support for Mr. Sidibe's candidacy among the 
Francophonie as well as the EU. 
 
EMBASSY BRUSSELS: 
 
-- Much of UNAIDS' past success is due to the tremendous 
leadership of Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot (Belgium). 
His leadership will be sorely missed. 
 
-- We believe that Mr. Sidibe is the best candidate to carry 
forward Dr. Piot's legacy and encourage your government to 
help build support for his candidacy, not only among EU 
members, but also among your allies in other regions. 
 
EMBASSY BAMAKO: 
 
-- We strongly support Mr. Sidibe's candidacy.  We are 
interested to hear what your government is doing to promote 
his candidacy and how we can best support your efforts. 
 
-- If you have not already done so, we strongly encourage 
your government to reach out to Secretary General Ban at the 
highest level to express your support for Mr. Sidibe's 
candidacy. 
 
-- We also encourage you to send out a formal dipnote to UN 
Member States in support of Mr. Sidibe's candidacy as soon as 
possible. 
 
 
EMBASSY SAN SALVADOR 
 
-- We greatly appreciate your President's commitment to 
fighting HIV/AIDS and his attendance of the United Nations 
High level Event in June.  We look forward to working in 
continued partnership with you in the fight against AIDS. 
 
-- We strongly encourage your government to express its 
support for Mr. Sidibe's candidacy to Secretary General Ban 
at the highest possible level. 
 
 
¶7.  (U) If you have any questions or need additional 
information, please contact IO/T's Guinnevere Roberts at 
202-647-4196 or robertsge@state.gov. 
RICE