PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
UN: Dialogue with candidates for UN Secretary-General position continues
New York, US (PANA) - Three more candidates for the position of the next UN Secretary-General will Wednesday answer questions on how they would promote sustainable development, improve efforts to create peace, protect human rights, and deal with huge humanitarian catastrophes should they be selected to lead the 193-member organization.
PANA at the UN headquarters in New York reports that the current UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, who is the eighth UN chief in its 70-year history, took office in January 2007 and will end his 10-year tenure on 31 December 2016.
On Tuesday, three of the nine candidates, officially nominated by their home countries, namely Dr. Igor Luksic, the current Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro, Ms. Irina Bokova (Bulgaria), who is the current Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and Mr. Antonio Guterres (Portugal), who was most recently the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, presented their vision statements and answered questions from UN representatives and the general public.
The three candidates appearing on Wednesday before the UN General Assembly are Dr. Danilo Turk, a former President of Slovenia, and Ms. Vesna Pusic, who is the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs for the past four years, and the First Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia for the past three years.
Also appearing is Ms. Natalia Gherman, who is the first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova.
The candidates are expected to present their vision statements, which address the challenges and opportunities facing the UN and the next Secretary-General, and answer questions from the audience.
Also, each candidate will have a televised and webcast two-hour time slot, starting with a short oral presentation, while representatives from UN member states will then ask questions, followed by the President of the General Assembly, who will ask a few of the more than 1,000 questions submitted by the general public on social media under the hashtag #UNSGcandidates.
Describing the three days of informal dialogues as a "new and transparent process", UN General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft said that, "it is the first time the opportunity presents itself for substantive and open engagement with the candidates - for the full UN membership and the public."
Meanwhile, on Thursday 14 April, Ms. Helen Clark (New Zealand), who is the current Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Dr. Srgjan Kerim (Macedonia), a former President of the UN General Assembly, will round up the dialogue sessions with the UN representatives and civil society groups.
-0- PANA AA/VAO 13April2016
PANA at the UN headquarters in New York reports that the current UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, who is the eighth UN chief in its 70-year history, took office in January 2007 and will end his 10-year tenure on 31 December 2016.
On Tuesday, three of the nine candidates, officially nominated by their home countries, namely Dr. Igor Luksic, the current Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro, Ms. Irina Bokova (Bulgaria), who is the current Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and Mr. Antonio Guterres (Portugal), who was most recently the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, presented their vision statements and answered questions from UN representatives and the general public.
The three candidates appearing on Wednesday before the UN General Assembly are Dr. Danilo Turk, a former President of Slovenia, and Ms. Vesna Pusic, who is the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs for the past four years, and the First Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia for the past three years.
Also appearing is Ms. Natalia Gherman, who is the first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova.
The candidates are expected to present their vision statements, which address the challenges and opportunities facing the UN and the next Secretary-General, and answer questions from the audience.
Also, each candidate will have a televised and webcast two-hour time slot, starting with a short oral presentation, while representatives from UN member states will then ask questions, followed by the President of the General Assembly, who will ask a few of the more than 1,000 questions submitted by the general public on social media under the hashtag #UNSGcandidates.
Describing the three days of informal dialogues as a "new and transparent process", UN General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft said that, "it is the first time the opportunity presents itself for substantive and open engagement with the candidates - for the full UN membership and the public."
Meanwhile, on Thursday 14 April, Ms. Helen Clark (New Zealand), who is the current Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Dr. Srgjan Kerim (Macedonia), a former President of the UN General Assembly, will round up the dialogue sessions with the UN representatives and civil society groups.
-0- PANA AA/VAO 13April2016
