Political scientist Elena Ponomareva called the name of a possible new UN Secretary General

The UN Secretary-General remains largely a figurehead, but it is he who places emphasis on the global agenda. Why are US Republicans blocking strong candidates, and which of the women diplomats now have the best chance of leading the organization? On the air of the program “How to look” on ONT told political scientist, Professor MGIMO (Russia) Elena Ponomareva.

Elena Ponomareva: Regardless of who takes the chair of the UN Secretary General, the situation for our countries is unlikely to change dramatically. Still, he is a figurehead, although the Secretary General can form a particular agenda, place emphasis and be more involved in political issues. If we talk about the most famous figures, then first of all it is Grossi – for some reason everyone predicts him as the Secretary General. But I very much doubt him, because as head of the IAEA he showed not very high efficiency: conflicts related to nuclear power plants, especially in the conditions of the Ukrainian crisis, he was not quite able to resolve. This also reflects his weakness as a negotiator.”.

Ponomareva also spoke about the candidacy of two women.

Elena Ponomareva: If I were asked what figure to put on regardless of age (she is 74 years old), I would say Bachelet [Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile]. Of course, she is a strong and experienced lady, but many American Republicans oppose this candidacy. They even approached Marco Rubio to veto the figure. Against this background, a rather unknown representative of a small country – the Cooperative Republic of Guyana – a certain Caroline Rodriguez-Birquette appears. She has a very good chance of becoming the new secretary-general, because she is, firstly, quite young (she is only 52 years old), and secondly, she is from a Latin American country – and this is an important regional marker, because there was no one from Latin America for a long time. At the same time, the UN is actively discussing that this post should finally be taken by a woman. She doesn’t have that much experience, she’s not as experienced in politics. If we talk about Western countries, they always try to manipulate such people, and they will be easier to work with. However, we will see – until the last moment nothing is certainly unknown.”.

See also:

What is the main task of diplomacy in an era of crises and why its word must be more powerful now than ever

How to promote the image of the future of your country at the UN? Elena Ponomareva explained the importance of cultural diplomacy