APEX, North Carolina / DUBLIN, Eire, Apr 23 (IPS) – What makes an efficient UN Secretary-Normal?
In our earlier posts, we highlighted six attainable candidates: Michelle Bachelet (Chile), Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica), Maria Fernanda Espinosa (Ecuador), Alicia Bárcena (Mexico), Mia Mottley (Barbados), and Amina J. Mohammed (Nigeria).
These are names which have come up in conversations with UN insiders and different consultants. All six would provide expertise and experiences we consider can be worthwhile in these fast-paced, unsure instances.
With two years to go till the choice course of takes place, some would possibly really feel it’s too early to start out this dialog. We disagree. By elevating the query of António Guterres’ successor sooner somewhat than later, we hope to position on report the qualities we consider are wanted. Listed here are the important thing expertise and attributes we hope the following Secretary-Normal will convey.
A Bridge Builder
First, we consider the UN will want somebody who can bridge a fragmented and polarized worldwide panorama. Political divides have grow to be all too evident, not simply within the tragedies enjoying out in Ukraine, Gaza, Syria and elsewhere, however within the wider geopolitical sense.
A multipolar world is rising from the earlier international order. Add to this the expansion of political populism, the triple planetary menace of local weather change, biodiversity loss, and air pollution, and speedy technological change—together with AI—and we’re no doubt in unprecedented instances.
A future Secretary-Normal might want to discover methods to convey the fractured worldwide neighborhood again to the desk in a significant manner. On this respect, one of many first exams for any potential candidate can even be one of many hardest: persuading all 5 everlasting members of the UN Safety Council to not veto their candidacy whereas on the identical time presenting a compelling imaginative and prescient that the Normal Meeting will discover inspiring sufficient to help.
In reality, some are already questioning how the “Massive 5” nations on the UN Safety Council will discover frequent floor on whom to appoint as their subsequent UN chief when tensions stay so excessive between Russia and China on the one hand, and the US, UK and France on the opposite?
One query the Safety Council might want to resolve in 2026 is whether or not it desires extra of a “Secretary” than a “Normal”? Our sense is that they could choose the previous—that’s, somebody who’s extra pliable and fewer strident of their strategy.
Nevertheless, we consider a frontrunner who can transfer seamlessly between the 2 roles—letting others lead when wanted however stepping up when the time is correct—would finally be higher for the world at giant.
On this respect, we might get extra readability on the views of UN member states within the months to return. This 12 months, 64 nations and the European Union are holding elections. This implies round 50% of the world’s inhabitants is heading to the poll containers.
By the tip of 2024, with many new leaders elected—or previous leaders re-elected—we can have a greater concept of how troublesome it’s going to be to construct consensus and belief, each inside the Safety Council and within the Normal Meeting.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling
When António Guterres was appointed Secretary-Normal, many commentators voiced disappointment that the glass ceiling had nonetheless not been damaged and a primary feminine UN chief had not emerged. We agree. In 2026, the UN can be greater than 80 years’ previous. It’s excessive time a girl was operating the group.
If our earlier posts present something in any respect, it’s that there’s an abundance of expertise ready to unleashed. If the UN is ever to completely ship on its imaginative and prescient as a power for international good, it must prepared the ground and shatter its personal glass ceiling.
A Chief from the South
As now we have already famous, some insiders count on the UN to revert to a rotation system the place totally different areas every have a “flip” at holding the Secretary-Generalship. This method was interrupted final time round, when a Portuguese nationwide was appointed when most anticipated an Jap European.
This time, some are saying it’s Latin America and the Caribbean’s flip. Whereas we’d welcome this, we don’t suppose this ought to be an absolute rule. As a substitute, we wish to see the strongest candidate appointed from the widest attainable pool.
What we do consider, although, is {that a} chief from the International South can be applicable this time round. With three-quarters of the world’s inhabitants dwelling within the South and the final two UN leaders coming from the International North (Portugal and South Korea), we consider the time is ripe for this transformation. With six billion individuals to select from within the growing world, there’s a wealth of expertise to select from.
Different Doable Candidates
Whereas our posts have profiled six candidates we consider may do the job nicely, there are more likely to be many different names come up within the dialog over the following two years. Beneath are shorter profiles on a number of now we have already come throughout.
Kristalina Georgieva (Bulgaria): An economist and present head of the Worldwide Financial Fund, Georgieva has additionally served as Chief Govt on the World Financial institution and Vice-President of the European Fee. Those that consider the following Secretary-Normal ought to come from Jap Europe would level to her popularity as a extremely competent and efficient administrator on the highest worldwide degree.
Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand): One of many world’s youngest heads of presidency when she was elected Prime Minister, Ardern served from 2017 to 2023. Her authorities was noteworthy for its dealing with of the Covid-19 pandemic, which contained the virus extra efficiently than many different nations, with the end result that comparatively few lives have been misplaced.
Ardern was additionally praised for her response to a terrorist assault early on in her tenure, which led to speedy reform of her nation’s gun legal guidelines. Identified for her deal with governing with compassion and with a deal with human wellbeing, Ardern left workplace in 2023.
Since then, she has taken on a number of tasks with a world dimension, together with fellowships on the Harvard Kennedy Faculty and Middle for Public Management.
Juan Manuel Santos (Colombia): The previous Colombian President and Nobel Peace Prize winner labored laborious to finish his nation’s ongoing civil warfare. His “peace dividend” might enchantment to these on the lookout for a frontrunner with a robust monitor report on peace and reconciliation. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t be considered as a change agent for these in search of to interrupt the glass ceiling on girls’s management (see above).
Achim Steiner (Brazil/Germany): The present head of UNDP can boast an extended monitor report within the UN, the German authorities, non-profits and academia, though latest allegations of economic irregularities at UNDP might have to be resolved to ensure that his candidacy to achieve traction.
Rafael Grossi (Argentina): The Director Normal of the Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company and former Argentine diplomat has impressed many, though some marvel if his deal with nuclear points and disarmament, which dates again greater than 20 years, could also be too slender in scope given the broad calls for of the UN Secretary-Normal’s function?
Prof. Felix Dodds and Chris Spence have participated in United Nations conferences and negotiations because the Nineties. They co-edited Heroes of Environmental Diplomacy: Profiles in Courage (Routledge, 2022), which examines the roles of people in inspiring change.
Earlier components:
https://www.ipsnews.net/2024/04/next-un-leaderpart-1/
https://www.ipsnews.net/2024/04/next-un-leaderpart-2/
https://www.ipsnews.net/2024/04/next-un-leaderpart-3/
https://www.ipsnews.net/2024/04/next-un-leaderpart-4/
https://www.ipsnews.net/2024/04/lead-united-nationspart-5/
https://www.ipsnews.net/2024/04/next-un-leaderpart-6/
IPS UN Bureau
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