After finishing last in three Security Council straw polls, the Ecuadorian-Lebanese diplomat tells Envoy she has no intention of dropping out. Ivonne Baki is used to being an underdog. She ran unsuccessfully for president of Ecuador in 2002 and for director-general of UNESCO in 2009. “For me, it’s about the journey,” she told Envoy in…
The No. 2 candidate in the race to lead the United Nations told Envoy that recent reports about her Middle East record were intended to boost a rival—and sought to clarify her position on genocide. Ahead of what could be a decisive month in the race to appoint the next UN secretary-general, runner-up Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett…
Ahead of a fourth Security Council straw poll, a former Caribbean ambassador argues that the next secretary-general should come not simply from Latin America and the Caribbean, but from the Caribbean itself. The selection of a secretary-general is usually discussed in terms of regional rotation and professional experience. Much less is said about outlook. Yet…
Ivonne A-Baki’s last-minute entry adds some drama to the UN leadership race, bringing Tonga’s backing, a claimed friendship with Donald Trump and fresh questions about Washington’s influence and the transparency of the selection process. Three days before the Security Council’s next straw poll, a candidate calling herself Donald Trump’s friend crashed the race to lead…
Envoy magazine announces the first in a series of events launching its special issue, Who Will Lead the World Next?, beginning September 8, co-organized with the United Nations Association of New York, the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, the Campaign for a Woman Secretary-General, and the Permanent Mission of Estonia to the United Nations….
Uganda’s Olara Otunnu will be included in the first Security Council straw poll despite not yet presenting his vision to the General Assembly. As the Security Council prepares to hold its first round of informal voting to decide who will be the next secretary-general, UN watchers warn that the process is off to a less-than-transparent…
As the field of candidates grows, their competing visions for reform, development, representation and the UN’s financial future offer an early glimpse of how each would lead an organization in crisis. As Manhattan’s sidewalks filled with bleary-eyed morning commuters, many carrying piping-hot cups of coffee, and city buses wobbled along traffic-packed streets, four candidates arrived…
Dear readers, In its 80 years of existence, the United Nations has had nine secretaries-general. This year, the Security Council and, ultimately, the General Assembly will decide who becomes the tenth. The UN’s first secretary-general, Trygve Lie, understood the burden of the office early. When he handed the job to Dag Hammarskjöld, he famously told…
