UN leader candidates pitch visions to save world body in crisis

The six candidates vying to lead the United Nations stressed the importance of restoring the credibility of an organisation in crisis during a restrained debate Thursday, one week before the selection process formally starts.

With the campaign struggling to generate real enthusiasm for a front-runner, the hopefuls faced nearly two hours of questions from diplomats, UN employees and civil society representatives at an event in the huge General Assembly Hall, broadcast by Bloomberg.

Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Ecuador’s Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Rafael Grossi of Argentina, Costa Rican Rebeca Grynspan, Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Senegal’s Macky Sall are all in the running to succeed outgoing Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who leaves office December 31.

Each candidate explained why they would be the best secretary general, highlighting strengths for confronting a particularly difficult era in global conflict, citing national or international experience and touting their ability to speak with all sides.

“Five years from now, I would like nobody to ask me again ‘where is the UN?’ That will be my indicator. I would like to see a UN that is back at the table on the scenarios of conflict,” engendering and delivering “results on the ground,” said Grynspan, who has headed the UN’s Conference on Trade and Development.

Sall, a former president of Senegal, similarly vowed to use his first 100 days “to restore trust and put the UN on a path to become more agile, more effective, and more ready to listen, listen, act, and bring people together”.