00:00Five candidates are interviewing for the job of Secretary-General of the United Nations
00:05before Antonio Guterres finishes his term at the end of the year.
00:09One of them is Maria Fernandez-Espinoza, the director of GWL Voices,
00:14which is an organization promoting female leadership.
00:17In an exclusive interview, she told our correspondent Li Jianhua
00:21that the UN must earn back its credibility.
00:25I think that we are living a world that is polarized,
00:31a world that is fragmented, a world in crisis.
00:36We're seeing the highest number of armed conflicts since the Second World War.
00:42International cooperation is seen as absolutely needed these days,
00:48especially among young people.
00:49They feel international cooperation and solidarity continue to be fundamental
00:56as we build a world with less inequalities and working together to ensure
01:03that people live free from fear and free from want.
01:07That is precisely what the UN was created for, to prevent wars and to protect people,
01:15which means that the UN, in spite of this world in crisis, continues to be necessary,
01:22continues to be relevant and important.
01:25You said the problem or the challenge the UN is facing right now is not about its relevance,
01:30it's about its credibility.
01:32And what would you do to restore its credibility?
01:37Credibility cannot be proclaimed.
01:39It has to be earned, and the way to earn credibility is about impact and effectiveness
01:48and ensuring that people on the ground feel that they are being served and listened to
01:55and where people in need or in situations of conflict, they feel the UN is there for them.
02:03It's very important that in the next selection of the Secretary General,
02:10that quality of being seen as an impartial onus broker is put at the center.
02:17To be a person that is non-aligned, that doesn't have an agenda,
02:22and it's friends with everyone, and doesn't favor anyone.
02:27And the only impartiality is extremely important.
02:34And I think what is very difficult is reaching consensus, especially among the P5.
02:40Look at Gaza, look at Ukraine, and we are also looking at some other conflicts in Africa too.
02:46How can we make sure that they can really, really sit down,
02:50putting away all of their differences, let's get this done?
02:52The role of a Secretary General, of course, is not to replace the power and the decision-making of member
02:59states.
02:59So the Secretary General cannot pretend that she can replace the decisions that member states have to take,
03:06especially the P5.
03:08But what you can do, however, is facilitate dialogue, facilitate trust building,
03:17facilitate the platforms and the spaces for countries of the Security Council and beyond,
03:23for the P5 to be able to talk to each other.
03:26You cannot replace them as they decide, but you can provide, again, be onus broker,
03:33the person perceived as impartial, as not having any agenda but the agenda of the UN upholding our constitution,
03:43which is the UN Charter.
03:45And what would you do to make sure that developing countries and the Global South would have more voice,
03:53or they can set the agenda even, or more agenda in the future?
03:57I'm a strong believer in South-South cooperation, in triangular cooperation,
04:03in new forms of cooperation that are emerging.
04:07No, there is the latest South-South cooperation conference was held under my presidency of the General Assembly in Buenos
04:16Aires.
04:17One common purpose is better international cooperation and a stronger UN that is leaner and results-oriented,
04:26that is more accountable, and above all, that is centered on the well-being of people,
04:32to prevent war and protect people. That's what the Charter says.
04:36Many are arguing that none of the Latin American countries or African countries are in the P5.
04:43They are just wondering if there would be any change to that.
04:47This is absolutely in the hands of member states.
04:51There is an intergovernmental process on Security Council reform.
04:56I get these questions often, what to do with the veto, what to do with the reform of the Security
05:02Council,
05:03what I say, what is the role of the Secretary General.
05:06So it doesn't matter what I think as an individual.
05:10But the role of the Secretary General is an honest broker, a facilitator,
05:16providing the secretariat support that the process requires.
05:21But, of course, the final decision is in the hands of the Security Council.
05:25Thank you very much.
Comments