By Al Ahed Staff, Agencies
Newly announced UN secretary-general candidate Ivonne Baki has called for a major overhaul of the Security Council, arguing that its current structure no longer reflects the realities of today’s world.
Speaking Thursday during an informal discussion at the UN General Assembly, Baki criticized the council’s repeated deadlocks and said its composition had failed to keep pace with dramatic demographic and geopolitical changes since World War II.
She highlighted Africa’s lack of a permanent seat despite the continent’s rapidly growing population, arguing that the imbalance contributes to the council’s inability to reach agreements on major international crises.
Baki, 75, is an Ecuadorian diplomat and former cabinet minister who has also served as ambassador to France, Qatar and the United States. Tonga formally submitted her candidacy to the General Assembly on Tuesday, making her the eighth contender seeking to succeed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in 2027.
Baki said she would seek to make the secretary-general’s role more directly focused on conflict resolution, pledging to work in conflict zones and areas of tension rather than limiting her efforts to the UN headquarters in New York.
She also called for greater participation by women in diplomatic efforts concerning conflicts such as those in Ukraine and Gaza, arguing that broader representation could help facilitate compromises.
Drawing on her own experience of living through the Lebanese civil war, Baki said she intends to use the authority of the secretary-general to pursue peace across the world’s numerous ongoing conflicts.
She presented herself as a candidate capable of bringing new perspectives to the UN, emphasizing her Latin American and Middle Eastern heritage and calling for a shift from bureaucratic processes toward tangible, measurable results.
No comments:
Post a Comment