Guterres this week delivered his final address to the U.N. General Assembly, in which he called for a greater focus on climate change, a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, “de-escalation and dialogue” in the Middle East, and regulations for artificial intelligence.
"So, on January 1st, when I am no longer Secretary-General, be sure of this. Wherever I will be, whatever I will be doing, I will keep championing the conviction that peace is possible," he said. "I will continue to stand up for the values of the United Nations Charter and I will never, ever give up. Thank you."
Read More: Make the U.N. Great Again: The Uphill Struggle Facing the Next Secretary General
The process to choose the next Secretary-General began in November, when a joint letter from the presidents of the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council invited the nominations of candidates from member states.
Member states nominate candidates by submitting an application to the U.N. including a personal statement with that candidate’s vision for what they’d do in the role, a resume, and campaign finance disclosures.
Who becomes Secretary-General ultimately comes down to a decision from the U.N.’s 15-person Security Council, which recommends one individual to the General Assembly. The General Assembly then appoints that person to the position.
Who’s in the running?
So far nine candidates have been nominated for the position of Secretary-General. Two of those candidates have withdrawn, leaving seven individuals vying to replace Guterres.
Rebeca Grynspan is the former vice president of Costa Rica, which nominated her for the position, and current secretary-general of trade and development for the U.N. She named three principles that define the mission she would undertake as Secretary-General: making the U.N. “more useful,” “more agile,” and “more accountable.”
María Fernanda Espinosa is the former Foreign Minister and Defense Minister of Ecuador and served as President of the 73rd U.N. General Assembly in 2018. She was nominated by Antigua and Barbuda. Her vision consists of five pillars: “peace and security, development, digital and energy transformation, closing the delivery gap, and rebuilding credibility.” Garcés in her statement contended that “what is now in question is not the relevance of the United Nations, but its credibility.”
Olara Otunnu was Uganda’s permanent representative to the U.N. for five years and briefly served as the country’s foreign minister. He was also the U.N. under-secretary-general and the special representative for children and armed conflict. “Reform is no longer an optional choice. It is an imperative,” he said.
Where does the race stand?
“We're at a moment right now where the race is entering a pretty pivotal phase,” says Daniel Forti, head of U.N. affairs at the International Crisis Group, a non-profit think tank dedicated to preventing deadly crises around the world.
This lack of consensus, Forti believes, could suggest that other candidates may enter the race late in the game. Although there have been no formal announcements of new candidates, Forti has heard chatter surrounding certain individuals: Nickolay Mladenov, the former Bulgarian foreign minister and former U.N. Middle East envoy who currently serves as the Board of Peace’s High Representative for Gaza; U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed; and former Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena.
—is the most critical because they have the power to veto candidates before being recommended to the General Assembly.
“You have a really fragmented global landscape,” he says. “The challenges for whoever takes over the office are going to be immense.”
Hence then, the article about who will be the next leader of the u n meet the contenders was published today ( ) and is available on Time ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Who Will Be the Next Leader of the U.N.? Meet the Contenders )
Also on site :