EU Statement – UN General Assembly: Interactive dialogues with candidates for the position of UN Secretary-General

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Madam President, Excellencies, colleagues,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. 

As leading political, financial and operational supporters of the UN and multilateralism, the European Union and its Member States are deeply invested in the UN Charter, international law and the UN’s success on the ground, especially at this moment of acute crisis. We are equally focused on the success of the selection process of the next Secretary-General and fully expect to be working closely with a SG who has a clear appreciation of the EU’s role in the UN system and who matches principle with action.

With geopolitical tensions rising, trust eroding, and the gap between commitments and delivery widening, the selection of the next SG comes at a defining moment.

At this critical juncture, the United Nations needs a SG who can build trust, reduce polarization, bridge divides, mobilise collective action, accelerate UN reforms, and deliver solutions that make a real difference in people’s lives on the ground.

It needs a Secretary-General that is fully prepared to defend and promote, with equal vigour, all three UN pillars, and full respect for the UN Charter and international law.

We emphasise this last point because the EU’s support to the UN reflects precisely that premise. We support all strands of the UN’s work equally: On peace and security, we actively advance the implementation of key UN mandates through our security and defence missions around the world. On sustainable development, we provide close to 50% of all ODA and over one-third of all voluntary contributions to the UN system, committed to delivering on the SDGs and battling inequality. On human rights, we remain firmly committed to their universality and indivisibility, while noting with concern that only 1% of the UN system spending is dedicated to human rights mandates at a time when normative attacks on human rights are increasing. We would expect the SG to seek to ensure that human rights are adequately and sustainably funded. 

We look forward to working closely with a SG who matches principle with action and against this broader backdrop, we wish to ask the following question:

Questions for H.E. Ms. Michelle Bachelet:

UN reform: How will you ensure the continuity of the ongoing UN80 Initiative? If you could reform one thing during your first 100 days in office to make the UN more effective in delivering on any of its core mandates, what would that be? Can you offer an example of a major reform that you promoted successfully in your previous tenures, and what lessons did you learn that could inform your approach to broader UN reform today?

Questions for H.E. Mr. Rafael Grossi:

Sustainable development: With 4 years to go until 2030, progress in achieving the SDGs is still lagging. With geopolitical fragmentation undermining multilateral cooperation and solidarity, how would you as next SG accelerate their implementation? How would you plan, concretely, to promote the mobilisation of all sources of financing in line with the Sevilla Commitment to close the SDG gap by 2030? 

Questions for H.E. Ms. Rebeca Grynspan:

Peace and security, can you mention concretely a major conflict today that you believe you can apply the principles you mention, that you can prioritize through mediation steps and other concrete actions to help bring an end to it?

Human rights, from your experience, can you offer a concrete example where the protection of human rights has boosted sustainable development or peace and security, or one where the violation of human rights has regressed sustainable development or peace and security? As Secretary-General, what will you do to protect the funding of the human rights pillar? Equal cuts to the one percent and the 40% would result in a catastrophe for the one percent.

Questions for H.E. Mr. Macky Sall:

Human rights: Can you offer, from your personal experience, a concrete example where you have seen the promotion of human rights directly support sustainable development and peace and security, or if you have seen the violation of human rights directly undermine sustainable development and peace and security? What do you plan to do to sustain funding and increase it for human rights? 

Peace and security: Can you provide an example of a major conflict today that you would prioritize where you believe that you could personally get engaged as Secretary-General through any mediation steps and other concrete actions to help bring it to an end? Can you concretely suggest a case where you might make a difference?

Thank you.