In a process that seemed opaque and unexpected by many women's groups around the world, Ms. Inés  Alberdi was appointed the new director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). The appointment was the focus of much lobbying among women's organisations as there was general expectation of an appointee who comes from the global South and has roots in the women's movement. 

While some organisations expressed their commitment to working with UNIFEM under its new leadership, others highlight the issues and concerns with UNIFEM's appointment of Alberdi

Some excerpts from the statements and reports:

The International Herald Tribune was among the first to report the appointment in mainstream media--

“The appointment of a Spanish sociology professor to head the U.N. Development Fund for Women sparked criticism from women's rights activists who had campaigned for a candidate from the developing world...Ines Alberdi, a former member of the Madrid Assembly who served as an expert in the European Union's Equal Opportunities Unit and has done extensive research on gender issues, was selected Monday [7 April  2008] by U.N. Development Fund Administrator Kemal Dervis in consultation with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UNIFEM's consultative committee.”

The Women's UN Report Program & Network (WUNRN) cited the process and the qualifications of Ms. Alberdi--

“The selection process was comprehensive and extensive, taking into account both the challenges facing UNIFEM as such as the broader requirements of strengthening gender-focused work throughout the UN system, something to which the Secretary-General attaches great importance.” [--from the UNIFEM Consultative Committee]

Ms. Alberdi has had a long career dealing with issues related to gender, development and politics. From 2003 to 2007 she was a deputy in the Madrid Assembly, and before that she has worked for the European Union, the Spanish Sociological Research Centre and the Inter-American Development Bank. She has also worked as a professor of sociology at Complutense University of Madrid, and has published several books on the social status of women.”


Shortly after the appointment, the Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era, commented with a statement---

“We understand that the interview panel, which carefully looked at the qualifications of the six short listed candidates, identified one person, Dr. Gita Sen, as outstanding and recommended her for the position. None of the others were ranked as appropriate for this post.”

“However, because of the UN’s concerns over funding, and significant and open political pressure from the Government of Spain, other names from the shortlist were brought back into consideration. A decision that should have been completed last November was delayed and increasingly politicized in the worst possible way. This is a tragedy for the UN in terms of its ability to draw competent candidates, transparency and fairness, and its credibility with women’s movements and development organizations.”

“The UNIFEM appointment has attracted great concern among civil society and governments about the seriousness of the Secretary General’s commitment to advance the UN’s work on gender equality and women’s rights. This decision could do serious damage at a time when there is a lot of talk of strengthening the gender architecture of the UN and making sure it delivers for women.”


In a statement titled “Call on the UN to Abide by Principles of Transparency and Integrity,” a group of young women activists from the global South released this statement--

“We are particularly concerned about the implications of this selection process for the UN's commitment to gender equality, and UNIFEM's future leadership on issues of women's rights and empowerment. We envision an engagement with the UN system that is respectful and responsive; current events, however, have left us disappointed and disillusioned. As citizens and young feminists from the South, we strongly believe that our voices and concerns should be heard and represented at the UN.”

Lastly, Women's Environment and Development Organization and Center for Women's Global Leadership said--

“We welcome the news that a new Executive Director of UNIFEM has finally been appointed, and we reaffirm our commitment to working with her and others in the United Nations system in the pursuit of gender equality. At the same time, we want to register our concerns about the appointment process.”

“In this ongoing effort, we look forward to working with Inés Alberdi, the new executive director of UNIFEM. She has a strong academic background, political experience and the support of a government with an exemplary record on promoting gender equality and women’s rights. We encourage her to reach out to women’s organizations in the South and North who are addressing the many challenges faced by women on the ground.  We stand ready to work with her to build the kind of partnership and alliances with the women’s movement that will make UNIFEM a stronger force to advance gender equality and women’s rights worldwide.”