Brief Introduction to LEAD China

Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) was established in 1991 by The Rockefeller Foundation. LEAD is an independent, non-governmental and non-profit international organization with the basic mission of capacity building for selected future leaders.

LEAD Associates are generally drawn from five sectors of society: academia, business, government, media, and NGOs. They are normally between the ages of 28 and 40 and are fully employed in their organizations and are expected to play key roles in their countries. Their employers contribute to the LEAD program by allowing the Associates to be absent from their jobs to participate in the LEAD training. This takes normally 80 days (including week-ends) during the two-year training program.

Once they complete their training, the Associates become LEAD Fellows for whom there exists a special program designed to nurture this growing global network of leaders. LEAD ensures that all of the members of the LEAD family (Associates and Fellows) are kept in close touch with each other and with other relevant organizations, through LEAD's own electronic network, LEADnet.

LEAD presently has more than 1,000 Fellows and Associates from over 50 countries through its 13 national and regional Member Programs in Brazil, Canada, China, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Europe, Francophone Africa, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan and six countries of Southern Africa (Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe).

More information about LEAD may be obtained from its web site: http://www.lead.org

Selection and Recruitment of Lead Associates
(Adopted by Board of Directors in October 1998, and revised by the Board of Directors in April 1999 to be put into effect as of Cohort 8.)

1. Criteria for selection:

* The recommended age of Associates, at their entry into LEAD, shall be between 28 and 40;
* The education level shall be appropriate to the national and regional circumstances;
* A minimum of five years of relevant work experience shall be required;
* Residence in the Member Program's country or region is mandatory;
* Selected Associates shall demonstrate:
* a personal commitment to environment and development issues,
* potential to become agents of change, and
* ability to work as members of a multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural team;

* Associates in each Cohort shall be drawn from a wide variety of professional and disciplinary backgrounds;
* Each Member Program's selection process shall strive to achieve a balance between genders and between different geographic areas of the nation or region from which the Associates are drawn;
* There shall be a demonstrated proficiency in the use of English as a tool of communication, so that Associates can take full advantage of international training sessions and their experience as LEAD Fellows after they graduate. (In the case of excellent candidates lacking in English communication skills, the time before the first LEAD International Session should be used to help overcome this obstacle).

2. Numbers of Associates per Member Program

Each Member Program may select up to 15 Associates per Cohort.

This number may be revised by the Board of Directors of LEAD International at a later date.

3. Schedule

As of 1999 (Cohort 8) recruitment shall begin by May at the latest and be completed by September.

4. Advertisements

All Member Programs shall advertise the opportunity to apply to the LEAD program as widely as possible, in order to ensure an open process and the possibility of attracting people from a variety of sectors.

Member Programs shall submit "calls for applications" or "announcements" to appropriate journals or papers (hard copy or electronic) which would add to the general applicant pool while increasing visibility at a low cost.

LEAD International will place one advertisement for all the Member Programs in The Economist at an appropriate time, each year.

Associates/Fellows are encouraged to increase the dissemination of information about LEAD through a variety of channels.

5. Application Forms and attachments

A uniform Application Form shall be created, in English, with attachments describing LEAD International and the appropriate LEAD Member Program. The Statement of LEAD's Vision, Mission, Objectives, Principles and Code of Conduct, shall be attached to the Application Form.

6. Commitment and employer pre-approval

The application form shall clearly spell out the time commitment involved, if an applicant is accepted as a LEAD Associate, and shall have a signed pre-approval from the applicant's employer.

7. Establishment of a short list

Each Member Program shall set up a mechanism to establish a short list of candidates who shall be retained for an interview. References shall be checked for these persons. The short listed candidates shall have been selected based on excellence and on sectoral, disciplinary, gender and geographic balance.

8. Selection procedure / interviews

Each Member Program shall establish a selection committee to consist of selected members of the national or regional LEAD governing body (including the Chair) selected members of faculty, and at least one Fellow. The N/RPD should be an ex officio member of this group. The procedure for screening the short-listed candidates should ensure that these are given enough time to allow the selection committee to make the right decisions. All interviews are to be conducted in person although not necessarily by a single, central recruitment committee. Taking into consideration particular financial constraints, interviews may be delegated to a selection committee member or to a LEAD Associate or Fellow. A representative of LEAD International may join the selection process.

9. Sector, disciplinary, gender and geographic balance

Excellence is the first criteria, but the Member Programs shall make a special effort to recruit a Cohort of Associates drawn from a wide set of professional sectors, gender balanced, and from a wide range of geographic locations from the Member Program's country or region. In order to ensure the balance within a Cohort, excellent candidates may be selected to participate in a later Cohort.

10. Final acceptance form

Such a form shall be on file for each new Associate, containing the following:

* Final agreement and signed written agreement of employer;
* Signed agreement by Associate to Statement of LEAD's Vision, Mission, Objectives, Principles and Code of Conduct;
* Signed agreement of Associate that he/she will attend all LEAD sessions for the Cohort;
* General waiver and release form.

11. Disqualification

Associates are expected to:

* Sign an agreement to the Statement of LEAD's Vision, Mission, Objectives, Principles and Code of Conduct;
* Obtain the signed written agreement of their employers, both at the application stage and at the final acceptance stage;
* Participate in a personal capacity, and unaccompanied by any other person, in all of the training sessions offered for the Cohort for which they have been selected.

If Associates are not able to fulfill their obligations, as described above, they are normally removed from the program.

Exceptions to this can only be accepted in cases of "force majeur" involving serious illness, the birth of a child, or death of an immediate family member. In such a case, an Associate may be allowed to graduate with a subsequent Cohort.

The decision to disqualify and remove an Associate shall be taken by the appropriate governing body of each Member Program in consultation with the Executive Director of LEAD International.

April 1999 Revised