President of the UNAC Commission

The President of the UNAC Commission is the head of the executive branch of the United Nations of the Auroran Continent. The position was established in July 2018 at the Auroran Reunification Summit in Aura, Emberwood Coast whereupon the Charter of the UNAC was adopted by the founding nations. The inaugural and incumbent office holder is Lara Tarasovna from Tuvaltastan.

Origin and history

The highest officials of the predecessors of the UNAC namely the Auroran Union and Auroran Continental Assembly influenced the structure and function of the office of the President of the UNAC. The AU was headed by a General Secretary appointed by a council of the heads of state of its members. A similar approach is retained in that the Council of the UNAC appoints the President.

During the Auroran Reunification Summit in July 2018 in Aura, Emberwood Coast, the members of the ACA and AU agreed to dissolve their respect organisations and establish the UNAC. They passed the Charter of the UNAC also colloquially known as the Treaty of Aura. This document contained information stipulating the structure and arrangement of the UNAC. This included the President of the UNAC Commission. Various officials ran for the position when it was first announced. Locklyn Le Roy of The Oan Isles was a contender but dropped out after losing support due to misgivings expressed by members about the stance of his home country and the aggressive nature of his campaign. Eventually, diplomat extraordinaire Lara Tarasovna was appointed. In fact, it was she who formally proposed the name UNAC and is considered among the most important people in UNAC history.

Terminology and forms of address

The full title is the President of the Commission of the United Nations of the Auroran Continent. This title is often shortened to President of the UNAC Commission. When speaking colloquially or in informal contexts, they can be referred to simply as the President. Sometimes people incorrectly call them the UNAC President or an equivalent title.

The President is known as Mr President in the case of a man, Madam President in the case of a woman and Mx President in the case of a non-binary or gender non-conforming person and equivalent titles in official languages of the UNAC. Their official honorific or style is the Esteemed which is commonly used in many Auroran countries. For instance, Great Morstaybishlia uses the Profound Estimable which is a related form of address.

Powers and duties

The President of the UNAC Commission is the most powerful official of the UNAC and is often mistaken as the head of the entire UNAC.

The President has the duty to convene and preside over the meetings of the Commission of the UNAC. This allows the President to influence the discussion of the Commissione and gives them the responsibility of ensuring all members are protected and able to participate freely and confidently.

The President controls and directs the day to day work of the Commission of the UNAC. This means they influence the policy of the UNAC Commission. The extent of this influence is constrained in agency-specific matters. For instance, the President has limited control over the Auroran Security Agency despite the fact that she is the superior to the Commissioner of Security and Emergencies who heads that organization.

The President represents the UNAC Commission and is accountable to the Auroran Parliament and the Council of the UNAC for its daily work. This includes presenting an annual state of the union address to the Auroran Parliament and Council of the UNAC and answering questions from their respective members.

Although the Council of the UNAC is responsible for appointing members to the Commission, the President influences the composition of the Commission by recommending portfolios.

Although the President is not the official head of state of the UNAC, they function as the highest official in the order of precedence of the UNAC and act as its highest representative.

The Office of the President has accrued considerable informal power and influence through their moral authority and political leadership.

In practice, the Office of the President provides political, administrative and logistical support to the Council of the UNAC and the President is also the de facto chairwoman of the Council of the UNAC. This was meant to be a transitional arrangement but so far no steps have been taken to address this.

Privileges

The President of the UNAC Commission earns a tax free salary paid for by the UNAC. They are the highest earning official alongside the Chief Justice of the Auroran Court of Justice and the Speaker of the Auroran Parliament. They also have the use of the special protection services, transports, residences and offices of the UNAC.