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?

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.

Forget the headlines: Life is getting better (Originally published 24/01/2015 at dawn.com)

Cast a glance at the headlines and it’s clear: the world is a violent, cruel and unforgiving place. Inequality is rampant. Terrorists stalk our streets. Poor, homeless people crowd our shelters. It’s bleak and grim — and not getting better.

Only, it is getting better. Take a second look and its equally obvious, as Max Roser of the Oxford Martin School explains, that we are becoming less violent and increasingly more tolerant, that we are leading healthier lives, are better fed, and that poverty around the world is declining rapidly. Taking these facts into account paints a very positive picture of how the world is changing.In fact, it could improve further. For most of this year, the United Nations, aid donors and world development agencies will be focusing on defining — and crucially also, on ways of implementing — a transformative global agenda that will shape our social, economic and environmental development for at least the next 15 years.Agreement on the “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs) which are expected to follow on from the 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed in 2000, is expected at the UN General Assembly in September this year.Taken together, the 17 SDGs and 169 targets represent a global wish list for a fairer, more just and more prosperous world. The proposed goals cover the broad themes of the MDGs — ending poverty and hunger, and improving health, education and gender equality — but also include specific goals to reduce inequality, make cities safe, address climate change and promote peaceful societies. There’s something for everyone.It is hoped that the SDGs will encourage a more holistic approach to development at national and international level, and offer a chance for more partnerships and collaboration.Crucially, the next set of goals will be universal, which means all countries will be required to consider them when crafting their national policies. Officially, the eight MDGs were applicable to all but they have been marketed as anti-poverty goals for poor countries that are funded by wealthy nations.There have been grumbles that 17 goals are too many, but it is understood that the number is unlikely to be reduced. Instead, the number of targets may be trimmed. Implementation is expected in 2016.Paying for the ambitious post-2015 agenda is a key task ahead. “Funding is crucial for credibility on climate and post-2015 efforts,” according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. He has said all public, private, domestic and international funding sources needed to be tapped.According to experts, public financing and donor aid will be central to support the implementation of the SDGs. But money generated from the private sector, through tax reforms, and a crackdown on illicit financial flows and corruption will be vital.A major conference on financing for development will be held in Addis Ababa in July 2015.Adoption of the SDGs goes beyond the pure development agenda. Their adoption will in fact reassure the world that, in spite of everything, 193 members of the United Nations are able to jointly respond to complex global challenges.Second, they will reaffirm the validity of universal human rights and the principles of sustainable development as fundamental to human civilisation. Not least, they will reinforce an unprecedented process of international consultation and commitment that defies the swan songs to multilateral cooperation and international law.Still, there is hard work ahead. One of the great successes of the MDGs was that they were brief and to the point. They could be communicated easily and provided a focus for advocacy.The next time around, with 17 SDGs, it will not be the same. They bring together two frontiers — development and climate — and tackle global public goods problems as well as national obstacles.They also apply universally — to all countries rich and poor — which has major implications. So it’s obvious that they are going to be much more complex to describe, implement, and monitor.In short, they’re going to have to function quite differently from the MDGs.Certainly, there will be less official development assistance to spur implementation. Aid flows look set to stagnate, at best and continue declining in importance to emerging economies.If not aid, then what? Well, public-private partnerships will be crucial. New development actors are emerging as an important source of funds for developing countries, especially for the financing of infrastructure. Foreign direct investments in emerging countries are on the rise as are impact investments, Corporate Social Responsibility activities and philanthropy.Remittances from workers abroad are a huge boon to their countries of origin. Governments are also under pressure to increase domestic resource mobilisation through more effective tax collection and anti-corruption measures.The world in 2015 will continue to be a difficult, hazardous place. But behind the scenes, there will be people making sure that the vision of a fairer, more equal and more peaceful world is kept alive