Makki explains cabinet amendments to public sector appointment mechanism

BEIRUT — The Minister of State for Administrative Reform, Dr. Fadi Makki, held a press conference in the ministry on Friday to explain the mechanism and criteria adopted for first-category public sector appointments, as well as recent amendments approved by the Cabinet, the state-run National News Agency reported.

On March 20, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced the adoption by the government of a new mechanism for appointments in the public administration, which focused on selecting the most competent within the administration based on nine criteria founded on priority, competition, equal opportunity, inclusivity, absence of conflicts of interest, flexibility, diversification, transparency and accountability. Makki explained that the process consists of three key stages: an initial screening, formal evaluation, and an oral interview. He detailed the steps from the moment a vacancy is announced to the final approval of a candidate by the government, emphasizing transparency throughout.

Makki explained the “the most prominent amendments" adopted by the cabinet in its session held on Thursday: first, the concerned minister was no longer bound by the ranking order of the shortlist that is submitted to the cabinet to make the appointment decision, which meant that, after the shortlist was submitted, the minister proposes the preferred name, knowing that the mechanism ensured that the most qualified persons reached the shortlist so that everyone whose name was included in this list was qualified to fill this position.

"In the past, the concerned minister had the absolute power to select and appoint the candidate. Today, this mechanism preserves the right of the concerned minister to choose his candidate, but from among the qualified names that have reached the shortlist and have been evaluated, which ensures the arrival of the most qualified in a transparent and scientific manner. The mechanism adopted is a message not only to the international community, but also to citizens and expatriates to restore their confidence in the state," the minister said.

Secondly, it was now possible to extend or renew the deadline for submitting applications, which will be done for Tele-Liban's and the General Authority for Civil Aviation's positions.

The concerned minister now had the right to establish more than one evaluation committee and propose their representatives in the evaluation committees, which would "speed up the committees' evaluation processes and speed up the appointment process."

On Thursday, the cabinet appointed a secretary-general for the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) and a new managing director for the state-run telecoms company Ogero.

During the press conference, Makki focused on “the importance of the CDR as a necessity and a pillar to launch the process of reform in the public sector, especially since international bodies have been waiting for this step."