Following the words of the Chief Officer, statements of appreciation were made by the representative of Canada as the host country, the representatives of Bolivia, Burundi, Jordan, Mauritius and Saint Lucia on behalf of Article 5 countries and their respective regional groups, the United States of America on behalf of non-Article 5 countries, Austria on behalf of European countries, UNIDO on behalf of the implementing agencies, and the statement by a representative of the Secretariat on behalf of Secretariat staff (Annex VII), the Executive Committee decided:
- To express deep gratitude to Dr. Omar El-Arini for his outstanding contribution to the development and management of the Multilateral Fund Secretariat, as well as his excellent assistance to the Executive Committee in the formulation of Fund policies, planning, management and evaluation;
- In view of his remarkable contribution to the work of the Multilateral Fund over an extended period from its inception, to grant the title of“Honorary Chief Officer” to Dr. Omar El-Arini, which he might use in his post-career life after his retirement;
- To note the Executive Committee’s own intention to continue to benefit from Dr. Omar El-Arini’s experience and knowledge for its work as appropriate; and
- To convey the Executive Committee’s best wishes to the Chief Officer for the future.