9/29/16 9/29/16

We should all be rooting for Georgieva

The United Nations is tantalisingly close to having its first woman - and Eastern European - secretary general. European Commission Vice President Kristalina Georgieva, who is Bulgarian, now has the long-awaited backing of the Bulgarian government to get the top UN job. She is finally officially in the race to replace Ban Ki-moon and will be fielding questions from the UN General Assembly on October 3.We should all be rooting for Georgieva. Here are 3 reasons - among many- why I think she rocks:

Georgieva will be transformational. At a time when the UN, like all international organisations, is struggling to reestablish its credentials in a complicated and turbulent world, Georgieva has the personality, skills and experience to break away from the repetitive "same old, same old" way of doing things.
From the day she took over as the EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs in 2010, Georgieva has travelled the world, standing out as a strong, no-nonsense but compassionate leader who goes the extra mile to engage and connect with people and countries.
Having tried all different types of men (from different continents, different races, different backgrounds) it's time the UN was led by a gutsy, hard-working woman who commands respect and knows her way around byzantine multilateral institutions, including the EU Commission and the World Bank.

Of course it's not done yet. Antonio Guterres, the much respected former Portuguese prime minister and head of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, is still in the lead in the numerous "straw polls" held so far at the UN. But that was before Georgieva entered the fray.Also, Irina Bokova, head of UNESCO and the former favourite of the Bulgarian government, is still in the race and reportedly has Russian backing.Not everyone - including Moscow and some Europeans such as the French and Portuguese governments - is pleased that Georgieva is believed to be the favourite candidate of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.But really should we care? Isn't it time to stop the petty political and geopolitical quarrels and focus on what's best for reviving the only multilateral body which has a mandate to tackle the many challenges of global governance?

9/12/16 9/12/16

The EU’s Georgieva should get the top UN job

I’ve long hoped European Commission Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva would be the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. Fingers crossed, she may just get the job.True, Georgieva is going to be entering the race at (almost) the last minute. And it’s also true that the current frontrunner in the competition to replace Ban Ki-moon is the very capable and much-respected former UN Human Rights Commissioner Antonio Guterres.But it’s really about time the UN was led by a woman. The problem is that the leading female contender, Bulgaria’s Irina Bokova, lags firmly behind Guterres in the last straw poll. Bokova, who is current head of UNESCO, has also run into strong opposition from the United States and Britain.So it’s time to change tack.Georgieva, who is also Bulgarian and is now in her second term at the European Commission, has the qualifications, experience and personality to take charge of the global body.She should have been in the race from the start. But politics and the Bulgarian government’s decision last year to opt for Bokova as its candidate, got in the way. However, it now looks like the Bulgarians have finally seen sense and are ready to back Georgieva.Sofia’s change of heart is to be welcomed. Georgieva, formerly at the World Bank, has been an impressive European Commissioner. She shone as the EU Commissioner in charge of Humanitarian aid. And this year she also lead efforts to reform the international humanitarian system.Nothing is settled yet. The UN race is proving to be much more exciting and unpredictable than anticipated. As Richard Gowan points out “a Guterres versus Georgieva contest would be a dream matchup for many UN officials and analysts…Both have held top-level humanitarian portfolios and were widely praised for their performances.”But for all the reasons I’ve mentioned, I’m putting my money on Georgieva.