As the usually-secret process to select the next Secretary-General opened up for the first time in the U.N.’s 70-year history, the nine candidates subjected themselves to tough questioning, including from India, over their credentials to lead the world body.
The candidates answered a total of 800 questions from the member-states and the public on how, if selected, they would lead the powerful world body.
It was the first time candidates seeking to become the U.N. Secretary General were questioned by member-states on their vision and plan of action — “a game changing process” aimed at increasing transparency in the selection.
“We have established a new standard of transparency and inclusivity for the appointment process, but it has the potential also to influence the final outcome of the selection of the Secretary-General,” UNGA President Mogens Lykketoft said at the conclusion of the unprecedented public dialogue.
Starting last Tuesday, each candidate was given a two-hour televised and webcast time slot. Prior to opening up the floor for questions, candidates gave short oral presentations — their “vision statements” — addressing challenges and opportunities facing the UN and the next Secretary-General.
Almost every country out of the 193 UN member-states took part in asking questions during the dialogue, Mr. Lykketoft said.
“We never had that frank and substantial discussion about the future of the U.N. as the one we got during these informal dialogues,” he said.
“We’ve talked about the virtues, we’ve talked about the flaws of the U.N., and the candidates have presented a lot of interesting views on how to do things ever better,” he said.
He added that these past three days were just a part of the “process of transparency” and he hopes they will help generate discussions about the selection of the U.N. chief.
India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N., Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, speaking on behalf of the G4 nations of Brazil, Japan, Germany and India, questioned former prime minister of Portugal Antonio Guterres and ex-Macedonian Foreign Minister Srgjan Kerim during the open briefings last week on how they intend to speed up the Security Council reform process.
Counter-terrorism architecture
Speaking in his personal capacity, he questioned them on terrorism saying the U.N.’s “counter-terrorism” architecture is “dispersed” and member-states “don’t have even one contact point to turn to if we have to address issues of counter terrorism“.
India has been pressing for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), a long-pending legal framework which would make it binding on all countries to deny space to terror groups.
