INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: 64th Unga Candidate Information: Joint Inspection

Published: Wed 21 Oct 2009 09:22 AM
VZCZCXRO5595
PP RUEHLA
DE RUEHMD #1030 2940922
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 210922Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1361
INFO RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA 4165
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0522
UNCLAS MADRID 001030
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
IO/MPR (BRIAN G. HACKETT), USUN/MR (EUGENE CHEN, CHERITH
NORMAN, AND BRUCE RASHKOW)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC UNGA UNGA
SUBJECT: 64TH UNGA CANDIDATE INFORMATION: JOINT INSPECTION
UNIT, JOSE CAPEL FERRER
REF: SECSTATE 105347
1. (U) Spain requests USG support for Spanish candidate Jose
Capel Ferrer to the UN Joint Inspection Unit. The Office of
the UN and Multilateral Organizations within the Spanish MFA
provided the following information in support of Spain's
candidate. Capel Ferrer has an advanced degree in civil
engineering and more than 30 years of professional experience
in the field of transportation. From 1991 until 2007, Capel
Ferrer served as Director of the Transport Division of the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE),
leading a staff of 40 for the secretariat and responsible for
the administration and promotion of a large number of
international legal instruments and recommendations in the
transportation arena. During his time in office, Capel
Ferrer helped strengthen the set of international legal
instruments under his responsibility: 8 new legal instruments
were adopted and over 600 new accessions of Member States to
existing instruments were registered. He promoted
inter-country cooperation projects in Eastern Europe, the
Caucasus, and Central Asia and encouraged greater cooperation
with other UN organs and information-sharing within the
organization, with the EU, and with the OSCE.
2. (U) Since September 2007, Capel Ferrer has served as
Director for European Affairs at the Administration of
Railway Infrastructure, a Spanish public entity. As chief
inspector and director of the organization, Capel Ferrer
oversees two European Economic Interest Groupings (EEIGs),
conducting evaluations, inspections, and investigations on
the groupings' success in achieving their governance
responsibilities with respect to management performance,
budgetary control, and other administrative and financial
issues. Capel Ferrer has also been elected Vice President of
the Transport Committee of the European Center of Public
Enterprises (CEEP), an organization recognized as a Social
Partner by the European Commission, and is by delegation, a
member of the Administration Council of the Center.
3. (U) Prior to 1991, Capel Ferrer served as Advisor to the
President of the International Union of Railways, Director of
the Spanish Railways for Europe, member of the Governing
Council of the Official Chamber of Commerce of Spain in
Paris, elected member of the Governing Council of the
Association of Chartered Civil Engineers of Spain, and
professor at Polytechnic University in Madrid.
4. (SBU) Independent inquiries revealed no disqualifying
information. By all accounts, Capel Ferrer is described as
an expert in transport issues, specifically with respect to
infrastructure, safety, environmental impact, inter-modality,
and border-crossing issues. His extensive experience and
successes within the UNECE would suggest that he is qualified
to serve in the external oversight body. He is fluent in
Spanish (mother tongue), English, and French.
CHACON
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