United Nations Secretary Wanted!
United Nations, Jul 23 (EFE).- By Nora Quintanilla
The six candidates seeking to succeed United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres presented largely similar visions for the organization’s top job on Thursday during a public event billed as a debate that, in practice, unfolded as a series of individual speeches.
The 90-minute town hall, held in the U.N. General Assembly, featured questions from moderators, U.N. member states and civil society representatives. It was divided into several segments, including opening statements, questions on current global issues and opportunities for candidates to share their views.
Prompted by the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, the candidates were asked how, as secretary-general, they would ensure the United Nations remains relevant to peace efforts despite paralysis in the Security Council. Their answers largely converged on the need for persistence and continued engagement.
“One thing the secretary-general does not have the luxury of doing is not trying,” said Guyana’s U.N. ambassador, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, who recently entered the race and received the strongest applause from the audience.
“The added value I could bring is to speak with everyone,” said former Senegalese President Macky Sall.
Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said the secretary-general should use the tools provided by the U.N. Charter and “build bridges between the parties in dispute.”
“The job of the secretary-general is to open up possibilities for agreement,” said Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the officeholder must be able to “propose concrete solutions, listen, not confront, and be there to solve a problem.”
Former Ecuadorian Foreign Minister María Fernanda Espinosa emphasized the role of the secretary-general as an “honest broker” and argued that the office has a responsibility to “mobilize the muscle of the United Nations to address the consequences and support countries” affected by conflict.
The candidates also used several questions to highlight their records leading governments and international organizations, as they have done in previous appearances, while agreeing on the need to strengthen multilateralism.
“We are in a difficult position right now, and it is not impossible that we reach a point where canceling one another becomes the norm. That is why we still have the United Nations,” Grossi said, arguing, as the other candidates did, that growing global fragmentation is among the organization’s greatest challenges.
The candidates also outlined similar priorities for their first 100 days in office, including strengthening preventive diplomacy, reforming the United Nations to make it more efficient, addressing its liquidity crisis and rebuilding public trust.
In her closing remarks, Bachelet called for a United Nations that is “leaner, but more muscular.” She also advocated increased financing for development and climate action before concluding with criticism that such efforts are necessary for “something that has been absent here: safeguarding the 2030 Agenda.”
The only other reference to the 2030 Agenda, which includes the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, came from Rodrigues-Birkett, who proposed consultations to develop a “post-2030 Agenda” focused on “human rights and development.”
The Security Council is expected to reach agreement in the coming months on a candidate for the next U.N. secretary-general and submit its recommendation to the General Assembly before Guterres’ second term ends on Dec. 31, 2026. EFE
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