00:05Five candidates are interviewing for the job of Secretary-General of the United Nations.
00:10Antonio Guterres finishes his term at the end of this year.
00:14Now, one of them is Rebecca Greenspan, the Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development.
00:19She told our correspondent, Lee Genois, it might finally be time for a woman at the helm.
00:25Well, this is a complex world.
00:27We are in a crossroad.
00:31First of all, I always say multipolarity is not a choice, it's a fact.
00:37We are in a multipolar world.
00:40What is a choice is multilateralism.
00:43We have to agree again that having international institutions that will be able to solve problems
00:52that no one of us can solve alone is the right way to go.
00:57I think if we want to agree again, at the end of the day, it's all about trust, isn't it?
01:02And you said that across the world, trust in the UN is winning.
01:07What would you do to restore trust?
01:10Now, how long do you think that would take?
01:12That is about engagement.
01:14It's about creating spaces for dialogue.
01:19It's about, let me say it this way, not surprising you, yes?
01:24You know what I will do.
01:27You know that I will hold.
01:29I can be hold to my word.
01:32You know that I will be transparent.
01:35You know that I will be independent and impartial.
01:39But how do you navigate the differences among major powers?
01:44Let's say in the Middle East or Gaza, the P5 couldn't reach a consensus to stop the conflict.
01:52And what would you do if you become the Secretary General?
01:56I will try and try and try again.
01:58But, you know, sometimes we don't have the time to try and try and try again.
02:03But, no, no, no, it's not true.
02:05Because when you think like that, you never try.
02:09Because you cannot solve an important conflict in one minute.
02:13You have to persevere.
02:15When we negotiated the Black Sea Initiative, I navigated many no's until I had a yes.
02:23We saved the world from a food insecurity crisis.
02:28The price index of food came down 23%.
02:32That means 230 million people not going under the poverty line.
02:39So, if I would have thought that I needed to solve the problem in one week, I would have not
02:47tried.
02:47Because that was not possible.
02:49You also said we shouldn't do more with less.
02:53We should do less with less.
02:55If you are the next Secretary General, what change, what reform even would you make?
03:02I think that that phrase has been misunderstood, like shrinking the UN.
03:10No.
03:10Less with less means to be more strategic.
03:14So, what I believe is that the UN has to be more strategic with less.
03:20Refocus.
03:21Do the things where the UN is unique.
03:24And partner with others in the things that others can do.
03:28Well, in peace and security, I think that the Secretary General has to have a group in the office of
03:34the Secretary General.
03:35And that will be necessary for preventive diplomacy and mediation.
03:41In development, I think that there is duplication and unhealthy competition within many parts of the UN.
03:49And there, I think that we need more discipline.
03:52I think that, at the top, there are still things to be done, yes, in terms of too many top
04:02positions.
04:04And the process of UN-80 that has happened until now, where a lot of effort has gone into, have
04:12to be taken seriously.
04:13I want to see what will be the recommendations and take decisions.
04:18Lastly, over the history of the UN, we have never had a female Secretary General.
04:25Do you think it's time?
04:27Well, I say...
04:30Or do you think it doesn't really matter?
04:31Yeah.
04:32Let me say, I say in a kind of joking way,
04:37that it's not because of the law of probabilities that we haven't had a female Secretary General during 80 years.
04:49What I really think is that we, female candidates, we don't need special treatment.
04:57We have an experience.
04:59We have a CV.
05:00We have a curriculum.
05:01We have a professional life to put in front of everybody.
05:04What we really ask is for equal treatment.
05:13If equal treatment will be guaranteed, I am sure this will be a good time for a female Secretary General.
05:23I am sure we are the ones that are required.
05:23We are the members of the UN.
05:23The UN is our friends.
05:24We are the activists who are the ones that are asked to do.
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