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United Nations, February 13 (PTI) An Indian-origin employee at the UN has announced her candidacy to be its next secretary general, the first person to throw her hat in the ring against incumbent Antonio Guterres, who is seeking a second job in five years. year beginning in January 2022 as head of the world organization.
Arora Akanksha, 34, who works as an audit coordinator for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), said she will run for the post of the world’s top diplomat and launched her #AroraForSG campaign this month.
“People in my position are not supposed to stand up to those in charge. We are supposed to wait our turn, ride the hamster wheel, go to work, keep our heads down and accept that the world is the way it is, ”Akanksha said in a two and a half minute campaign video posted online.
The video shows Akanksha walking inside the massive UN headquarters, while her voiceover says that the people who have come before her have failed to hold the UN to account.
“For 75 years, the UN has not kept its promise to the world: refugees have not been protected, humanitarian aid has been minimal, and technology and innovation have taken a back seat. We deserve a UN that leads progress, “he said.
“That is why I am running for Secretary General of the United Nations. I refuse to be a spectator. I will not accept that this is the best the UN can do, ”he said in the video.
Last month, Guterres, 71, had confirmed that he will seek a second five-year term as head of the world organization.
Guterres’ first term ends on December 31 of this year and the term of the next Secretary General will begin on January 1, 2022.
Guterres took office on January 1, 2017 after a reformed selection process that included an informal public dialogue session in the General Assembly.
Guterres is the ninth secretary-general of the United Nations, and no woman has served as the world’s top diplomat in the 75-year history of the United Nations.
The Secretary General is appointed by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security Council, which makes the selection of the Secretary General subject to the veto of any of the five permanent members of the Council.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary-General, responding to a question in the daily briefing about UNDP staff announcing his candidacy for Secretary-General, said: “Antonio Guterres is a candidate for the selection process. It is not his job to comment. about other people who want to introduce themselves.
“This is a Member State-led process. Therefore, I am not aware of any issues or problems with that … I speak on behalf of the incumbent candidate, but we have no comment on anyone else wishing to wear the ring hat proverbial, ”Dujarric said.
The spokesman for the president of the UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, Brenden Varma, was asked at the press conference if Akanksha had written to the president about his candidacy.
Varma said the president’s office had not received any formal communication on this matter.
Varma had previously said that so far the President of the General Assembly had not received any notification of nominations for the post of Secretary General from the Member States.
He added that traditionally Member States have put forward candidates.
In the video, Akanksha adds that it is time for the UN to stop serving the politicians and start serving the people.
“It is time for a new UN, a UN that is a guardian of refugees, brings humanitarian crises to an end and puts technology and education in the hands of all.”
He said these ideas are not impossible and they don’t need another 75 years to carry them out.
“It takes someone to be bold, to be the first: first to speak, first to act, first to make a difference and now first to challenge the UN. I am no longer waiting for the torch to be transmitted, I am taking it because I am part of the generation of change where we not only talk about change, we cause change ”, he said.
According to her profile on her UNOW.org website, Akanksha graduated from York University, Toronto with a Bachelor of Administrative Studies.
He received his Master of Public Administration from Columbia University.
Her profile says that she was hired at the UN to “help with the organization’s financial reforms” and her work included updating UN financial regulations and rules and managing UNDP internal and external audits.
A report on the PassBlue news site said that the Indian-born Akanksha has an overseas citizenship of India and a Canadian passport.
She “has not asked any country for official support. However, he is hopeful that his candidacy can revolutionize the selection process, ”said the PassBlue report.
(This is an unedited story and automatically generated from syndicated news, LatestLY staff may not have modified or edited the body of the content)
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