The call came during a public debate on “Leadership for Peace,” during which former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and academic Anjali Dayal urged members to address both the external crises facing the UN and the internal constraints that have weakened its capacity to act.
Mr. Ban, now a senior member of The Elders, warned that the global situation has deteriorated since he left office end of 2016, marked by an intensification of clashes between great powers, an erosion of multilateralism and conflicts in which civilians continue to pay the highest price.
“This deeply disappointing situation is characterized by confrontation rather than cooperation among the great powers,” he told the Council, citing the war in Ukraine, massive civilian casualties in Gaza and weakening international cooperation – even as the global climate crisis accelerates.
Lurching towards irrelevance
Former UN chief says global crisis cannot be separated from Security Councilhis own failures.
“The continued failure of the Security Council to function properly constitutes the most glaring cause,” he said, highlighting the repeated use of the veto by permanent members “to shield themselves, their allies and proxies from accountability.”
Without meaningful reform, Mr. Ban warned, civilians will remain unprotected and impunity will persist. “Without this, the UN risks either collapsing or becoming irrelevant,” he said.
Former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the Security Council.
Reduce political pressures
Regarding the selection of the next secretary-general, Ban called for a single, non-renewable seven-year term to strengthen the independence of the office.
The current practice of two five-year terms, he said, leaves secretaries general “too dependent on the permanent members of this Council for an extension”, even though this arrangement is a convention rather than a requirement of the United Nations Charter.
“The General Assembly has the power to set the terms of appointment itself,” Mr. Ban noted, urging Member States to use this authority to empower the next UN leader.
Former Secretaries-General Kofi Annan (left) and Ban Ki-moon (right) with Secretary-General António Guterres at UN headquarters in New York.
The selection process
Secretary-General António GuterresThe second term expires at the end of next year and the formal selection process is already underway.
In November, the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council started the process together, in accordance with the General Assembly resolution 79/327which emphasizes transparency and inclusiveness.
According to the established procedure, candidates are nominated by member states or groups and must submit a vision statement, curriculum vitae and campaign financing information. THE President of the General Assembly organizes publicly broadcast interactive dialogues with all candidates, while working closely with Member States throughout the process.
As of mid-December, only Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA) – was nominated by Argentina.
You can find the list of candidates on the UN website here.
Anjali Dayal, associate professor of international politics at Fordham University, addresses the Security Council.
Unprecedented tension
Anjali Dayal, associate professor of international politics at Fordham University, told the Council that the next Secretary-General will take office at a time of unprecedented tension, including a deepening funding crisis that is already reducing the UN’s ability to provide essential services.
“This will result not only in a shrinking of this Organization, but also in a reduction in the work that only the United Nations can do on a large scale,” she said, pointing to fewer vaccinations, reduced humanitarian aid and mine clearance efforts, even as global needs increase.
Ms. Dayal said history shows that even in periods of intense division, the Council has been able to choose leaders who have advanced peace and cooperation.
She recalled the prolonged stalemate that preceded the selection of Javier Pérez de Cuéllar in 1981 and the criticism of U Thant, but they ably managed to end the Iran-Iraq War, resolve conflicts in Cambodia and Nicaragua, and help end the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Jaw-jaw better than war-war
These examples, she said, underscore that the Secretary-General’s influence lies less in material power than in the ability to shape ideas, narratives and long-term cooperation – “to make the boardroom ever more attractive than the battlefield.”
For Mr. Ban, this responsibility ultimately lies with the Council itself. Reforming the use of the veto and renewing support for UN leadership, he said, are essential if the Organization is to remain relevant in the 21st century.
“The path of every man for himself is no different from the path of mutual destruction,” he warned.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
