/ world today news/ This year, the UN will have its ninth Secretary General in a row.
Historically, the Secretary-General has been elected on the basis of the unofficial “regional rotation” system. Within this rotation, three secretaries-general were from countries of the “Western European Group” (Trygve Li, Dag Hammarskjöld and Kurt Waldheim), two from the “African Group” (Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Kofi Annan), two from Asia (U Tan and Ban Ki-moon) and one from Latin America and the Caribbean (Javier Pérez de Cuellar).
Until now, no secretary-general has been elected from Eastern Europe, and what is even more surprising is that a woman has never held the post.
In July 1997, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 51/241, which aims to “strengthen the United Nations system”. The resolution calls for the process of selecting the secretary general “to be more transparent.” She confirmed the system of “regional rotation”, but added that “attention should be paid to gender equality”.
The appointment of Ban Ki-moon’s successor will be a test of whether the commitment to gender equality is more than words.
A clear standout candidate at this stage in the race for the UN’s top job is Irina Bokova, who is currently the Director-General of UNESCO. Bulgaria’s Bokova fulfills the “regional rotation” requirement, but more importantly, she is a woman with a solid resume. Her life experience is the bridge between East and West. She was educated at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and later at the University of Maryland and Harvard.
Work followed successively in the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bulgarian UN mission in New York. She was elected to the first post-communist parliament of Bulgaria on the ticket of the Socialist Party. After holding the position of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for Bulgaria’s relations with the EU, she was appointed Temporary Minister of Foreign Affairs in November 1996 and in this capacity proposed her country’s candidacy for EU membership. At the time, not everyone in Bulgaria was enthusiastic about EU membership, so with her determination to steer Bulgaria towards the EU, Bokova demonstrated considerable political courage.
In 2009, Bokova was elected Director-General of the largest UN agency UNESCO, making her the first woman and the first Eastern European representative to head the largest UN agency. In 2013, she was re-elected. It showed an astonishing capacity to secure support among the 190-member UN agency.
Bokova seems to be in a good position to repeat this performance in the race for UN Secretary General. She has the energy, the experience and the necessary contacts among the “UN electorate”.
Most importantly, she is in the best position to overcome the biggest obstacle facing candidates for the post of UN Secretary-General – relying on the support of all members of the UN Security Council. According to the procedures, all 5 permanent members of the Security Council have the right to veto the candidate. (These 5 countries are USA, Russia, China, UK and France – in order). Mrs. Bokova is well prepared to deal with this obstacle. Over the years, it has established good relations with all the major powers, managed to avoid the “pitfalls” and demonstrated a commendable capacity to navigate the sometimes turbulent waters.
One area where Bokova proved capable of navigating the complex minefields of politics was in resolving the many pressing issues arising from the rich legacy of the Middle East. Her handling of the controversy that arose over the question of the classification of the Western Wall in Jerusalem is a classic example. Bokova displayed particularly deft diplomatic skills to prevent UNESCO from becoming embroiled in political controversy. Her approach to the issue was recognized by Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein.
Her role in resolving disputes over the location of the Historical Exhibition of the Jewish People and the Holy Land, which was held at UN headquarters, won her widespread praise.
Bokova’s strongest competition came from another potential Bulgarian candidate – Kristalina Georgieva, vice-president of the European Commission on the budget. This is strange, knowing Bokova’s power and the benefits her appointment would bring to Bulgaria – a country that does not always receive praise.
The proposal of two candidacies by a small country for the highest post in the UN was not difficult to predict that it was an attempt to turn a media company against Bokova, who is the leading candidate. The pressure was aimed at persuading Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to withdraw Bokova’s nomination. There were also some dirty press conferences. Some commentators speculated that Bokova would either be replaced or retire due to the pressure. None of this happened!
The campaign against her not only did her no harm, it worked for her. She reacts with great dignity and demonstrates that her otherwise meek character has the necessary “steel” to withstand the pressure. And this is an important personality trait for the highest post in the UN.
There are currently six more applications. Two of them belong to women – to Vesna Pušić from Croatia and Natalia German from Moldova. Four are of men – to Serjan Kerim, who is the former foreign minister of Macedonia, to the former Slovenian president Danil Turk, to the current Montenegrin foreign minister Igor Lukšić and to Antonio Guterres, the former prime minister of Portugal. While these candidates bring with them a considerable array of personal qualities and political experience, none of them stand out better than Bokova.
There is one other factor that tilts the scales in favor of Bokova – it is her country. While Bulgaria has not always received “the best treatment,” the Bulgarian people have a tradition of ethnic tolerance that has survived the toughest historical tests. During the dark days of World War II, the Bulgarian people, led by their monarch and church, prevented the deportation of Bulgarian Jews. During the Southern Wars, Bulgaria was home to many ethnic groups and was one of the pillars of stability in the region. And in the current refugee crisis, the Bulgarian people, although affected by it, show sympathy for the people driven out by war and terror, and the Bulgarian government strongly supports a pan-European solution. In a divided world where a tragic level of intolerance is on the rise, Bulgarian roots are an advantage in the race for the UN.
There is one point that could be a disadvantage for Bokova: her self-imposed limitation, as strange as that may be. As her mandate expires at the end of 2016, Bokova has reportedly decided not to campaign for the post of general secretary. Her motivation is impeccable – she wants not to compromise in any way with her current position. But the other candidates will campaign openly. So the “no-campaign” strategy, however laudable, may need to be reconsidered.
There is an expression in Ireland: “A quiet curate never becomes a parish priest.” It is also valid outside the country. It is also applicable to the race for the post of UN Secretary General.
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The author of the article published in the American analytical-intelligence center “Stratfor” is Dick Roche. He is a former Irish Minister for European Affairs and Ecominister. He was vice-president of the Alliance of Democrats for Europe (ALDE) for two terms.
Washington / USA
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