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To: David Cameron
Don't force Andrew Lansley on the UN
Please don't make Andrew Lansley the only choice that you offer to the UN for the role of humanitarian affairs and emergency relief co-ordinator upon which millions of lives depend. The agreed deal is that we should offer three options to the UN. He does not seem to have the qualifications for the role. This makes it look as if we are a nation that is arrogant enough to decide unilaterally who the UN should give jobs to and that we favour friendship over more meritocratic criteria for suitability.
Why is this important?
Lord Malloch Brown, the former UN deputy secretary-general and a crossbench peer, said if Lansley got the job it would be a sign Cameron had used the global organisation for a “political dumping”.
He told Channel 4: “This is one of the most difficult, important jobs in the world. There are millions of people in desperate situations from Ebola victims to victims of war in Syria who are highly dependent on the humanitarian activities of the UN. It’s an act of great cynicism to allow someone who does not have background and qualification in this area to be put forward.”
