Vision statement
The United Nations is the only body that represents all of humanity. It was founded, in the aftermath of a savage global war and against the backdrop of the Holocaust, expressly to prevent the scourge of war, maintain international peace and security, promote international cooperation, and settle disputes by peaceful means.
Its founding was a solemn covenant - made by nations drawn together by a common humanity and by the pursuit of self-determination, the dignity and self-worth of the human person, and the protection of fundamental freedoms and rights. These were, and remain, the guardrails and the guiding values of the United Nations.
With rapid advances in artificial intelligence and other great scientific leaps, we stand on the precipice of a potential golden age: a time to cure hitherto incurable diseases, to lift billions out of poverty through financial and digital inclusion, to explore the heavens with renewed confidence. It is also a moment of great upheaval - of grave threats to peace and security, of economic dislocation, of technologies that might come to dominate rather than serve the human race.
Against this backdrop of promise and gathering threat, the United Nations is once again called upon to fulfil its historic mission. It is an opportunity to reinvent, to renew, and to give the organization a new lease on life.
Issues on the agenda
The Secretary-General does not wield conventional power derived from military strength, resources or a domestic electorate. The office carries moral authority - flowing from the principles of the Charter and the support of Member States.
That authority is a crucial asset. Deployed carefully and strategically, it benefits the international community as a whole.
Key to the success of the United Nations is its legitimacy, effectiveness and efficiency. The ongoing reform in the context of the UN80 Initiative is timely: the organization faces a historic liquidity crisis amid unprecedented demand from the people it serves.
Proposals to strengthen effectiveness, coherence and accountability - reducing duplication, aligning resources with priorities, supporting the Secretariat in delivering results - must be fully supported by the next Secretary-General and by Member States. Reform must be driven by Member States, who create and approve mandates and must now approach their implementation and review with sincerity and urgency.
International peace and security and international cooperation constitute the core mandate of the United Nations. To fulfil it, the organization needs a leader accomplished in building bridges, forging consensus and executing bold initiatives that command broad global support.
Children and women suffer disproportionately in situations of war. The United Nations must do more to ensure the implementation of the rules and standards already adopted for their protection.
A new world economy, driven by artificial intelligence, is fast emerging. As Secretary-General I would work to create a special body to oversee the UN's work on AI - establishing frameworks for its development, adoption, safety, governance and societal and employment impact, and harnessing AI and digital technology to lift billions out of poverty through financial and digital inclusion.
Climate change remains one of the greatest challenges of our time, and it should be addressed without sacrificing economic prosperity, technological innovation or energy security. The Paris Agreement represented a historic convergence of ambition; we are falling short on implementation.
I would draw on the capacities of the United Nations to give Member States rapid assessments of progress and of the practical steps that would accelerate action - while ensuring those actions do not deepen burdens on developing countries, and prioritizing partnerships on finance, technology and capacity building.
Developing countries need long-term capital to finance key development sectors, and many face limited fiscal space exacerbated by high debt burdens. The Sevilla Commitment provides the renewed global framework for financing for development and the 2030 Agenda.
The United Nations should not replace the international financial institutions; it should use its convening power and universal legitimacy to help Member States close the financing gap - in particular for African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing States, middle-income countries and countries in conflict and post-conflict situations.
Immigration is a global challenge and a potential threat to international peace and security. The United Nations should help the international community develop a new framework and consensus - a seamless and humane immigration policy consistent with national security and sovereignty. This should be a top priority.
The United Nations is an association of Member States, but the world body is organized for the benefit of the people of the world. We must actively reach out to and engage people - especially the youth, communities of faith and women. This is a critical public advocacy role of the Secretary-General.
Although the United Nations and regional organizations sit at different levels of the multilateral architecture, we should work to deepen cooperation and complementarity between them.
Conclusion
To carry out this agenda, the United Nations needs a particular kind of Secretary-General: one who is proactive, a bridge-builder, and able to propose creative solutions in difficult situations.
We are blessed to live in an era of great revolutions and rapid transformations. This should be the golden age - the age of hope and faith. An age that allows the full flourishing of the human race as one global family.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:Where there is hatred, let me sow love;Where there is injury, pardon;Where there is doubt, faith;Where there is despair, hope;Where there is darkness, light;Where there is sadness, joy…