Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett - Interactive dialogue for the position of the next Secretary-General of the United Nations

Good morning. Please take your seats. I call to order the informal meeting to conduct an interactive dialogue with Ms. Caroline Rodriguez-Birkett, candidate for the position of the United Nations Secretary-General. Today's interactive dialogue marks— a critical step in the selection and appointment process for the next Secretary-General, but also coming at a pivotal moment for the United Nations. The person we select will be more than the face of this institution. Our choice will send a powerful message about who we are, and whether we truly serve all 8 billion people of the world in all their diversity. The multilateral system, with the United Nations at its centre, is under unprecedented political and financial pressure, from a deepening liquidity crisis to fundamental principles of the UN Charter being put into question. The next Secretary-General will be entrusted not only with navigating these challenges, but also with advancing essential reforms to ensure the United Nations is fit for the future. At the same time, the world needs the United Nations more than ever.

Thank you.—

and it needs a Secretary-General who can provide strong, principled and effective leadership across all three pillars: peace and security, development and human rights. These Interactive Dialogues, which I convene in line with General Assembly Resolution 79/327, offer a unique opportunity for candidates to present their vision for the future of this organization and for member states and civil society to ask questions and interact directly with candidates. The interactive dialogues are essential to ensuring a transparent and inclusive selection and appointment process, while underlining the important role of the General Assembly. I encourage you to make full use of this opportunity, and I thank all candidates for their active participation. Thank you. Member States and civil society for their questions and engagement. But these dialogues do not end in this chamber. They are also an opportunity for people around the world— the very people the United Nations serves— to listen, to engage, and to hold this process to the highest standards. For this decision does not only concern a few, but all of us, in and outside the United Nations, who look to this institution to reflect the principles and values it champions. As reflected in my letters dated March 4th and April 15th and June 15th, 2026, the dialogue will begin with an introduction by the candidate of their vision and priorities for up to 10 minutes, followed by an interactive exchange. Each dialogue will last up to 3 hours. The interactive exchange will take place in two segments. We will begin with a 1.5-hour discussion focused on leadership abilities, experience, and skills needed to lead a strong organization that is fit for the future. Following this, we will move into the second segment, which will focus on the three pillars of the United Nations: peace and security, development, and human rights. In line with revitalization resolution, civil society representatives will be invited to pose question in each of the two segments. Before proceeding to hear the presentation of the vision of the candidates, I would like to inform members on how to inscribe to speak in the two thematic segments. Delegations wishing to speak can register their wish to speak by pressing the microphone button. As before, please do not press the microphone button yet. I will announce when delegations will be asked to press the microphone button at the beginning of the first segment.

Thank you.

Member States speaking on behalf of groups are invited to approach the list of speakers table and will be given priority. And please remember again that only a limited amount of time is also there for the answers, so it's difficult to answer many, many questions only in 3 or 2 minutes. Delegations can speak only once in each segment, whether on behalf of a group or in national capacity. In the second segment, priority will be given to delegations that did not have an opportunity to speak during the first segment. Having said all these procedural rules, I now invite Ms. Rodrigues Birkel to present her vision. Please, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. My thanks as well to all of you permanent representatives delegates, and members of civil society for being present here today. It is an honor to have this opportunity to present my vision as a candidate for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations. I thank His Excellency President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and the Government of Guyana for nominating me for this position. Thank you. I commend you, Madam President, for organizing these interactive dialogues and look forward to a rich discussion with Member States and civil society. Let me begin by paying tribute to Secretary-General António Guterres and all the Secretaries-General who have led this organization since its founding. It is no small achievement that the United Nations continues to be strong after 80 years, and part of the credit undoubtedly belongs to them. The appointment of the next Secretary-General comes at a critical moment for the United Nations. The global landscape has changed, and the tools required to guide the organization must likewise evolve. The vision I have outlined is principled, pragmatic, and responsive to the needs of the organization. In the past 5 years that I have been here at the United Nations, I have listened carefully to the perspectives of Member States, including my own, and engaged with the wider international community on a broad range of issues concerning the United Nations. Across these conversations, there is a growing sense of frustration that the UN is not delivering as it should. I was especially exposed to these sentiments during Guyana's recent tenure on the Security Council. At the same time, and in every conversation, I also heard and felt the strong commitment of Member States to make the United Nations truly fit for purpose. Even though we have heard these words Many times before, this ambition goes beyond rhetoric. Coming from a small developing state, and in my previous portfolios, I have seen firsthand the value of the United Nations in the lives of people all over the world, including in my own country. I am sure many colleagues in this room can say the same for their countries. Many of our countries exist today as independent nations because of the decolonization work of the United Nations. There are countries represented in this room that can attest to the United Nations' role in accompanying them on the path to peace and are now enjoying greater stability precisely because of the service and sacrifice of our UN peacekeepers. Thank you. Millions more across the world still look to our blue helmets today with hope as they continue their journey towards peace. The UN has set global standards on a broad spectrum of issues, from decolonization to dispute resolution, from the safety of our skies to regulating our oceans, from poverty reduction to disease prevention, improved access to education, cultural preservation, and humanitarian responses. No country is untouched by the work of the United Nations. While the full breadth of its achievements may not be widely recognized, its impact is clear across every region of the world. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine what this world would have looked like without the presence of the UN and its conflict prevention and resolution work undertaken through diplomacy, peacekeeping, and international cooperation. The reality is that we cannot put a price tag on prevention, and the UN's work has been pivotal on this front. So while it is important to highlight the UN's shortcomings, we must also recognize the profound difference it has made in the lives of all of our peoples. Our collective responsibility is to make sure it continues to do so. There is no global issue that the UN cannot consider. Think about it. If there were no United Nations, how would we even begin to address many of the global issues confronting us? [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] I've said all of this because I believe in the United Nations. It is indispensable, it is incomparable, and it is a force for global good. It is also, though, because of my strong belief in the United Nations that I am compelled to be realistic about its challenges. The proliferation of conflicts and crises, the slow pace in achieving the SDGs, and the ongoing liquidity crisis facing the Organization are just three examples of what confronts us today. In fact, the UN 80 Reform Agenda is an acknowledgement that the UN of today needs to do things differently and better. Improving efficiencies in the Secretariat, how the Organization treats with mandates, and the structural alignment of the Organization— will together have a positive impact system-wide. And thus, I have presented a vision that builds upon the achievements while responding directly to the challenges we face. One that centres around reasserting the UN's core principles and purposes, reforming its systems and practices, and together with Member States, rallying towards the goal of a more agile, an effective organization, one that also delivers equally across all three pillars: peace and security, development, and human rights. If appointed Secretary-General, I will work hand in hand with the 193 member states of this organization and its staff, as well as in partnership with regional and sub-regional organizations, civil society, and other stakeholders to achieve this shared objective. I will be open and accessible, including to dialogue with permanent representatives here in New York. Delivering on the promise of the United Nations to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, maintain international peace and security, protect and promote human rights, promote sustainable development, and foster global cooperation, is a collective effort. Let me underline that the vision I presented to you is both practical and realistic. To advance this vision, I have pledged to be proactive in engaging Member States, to use the tools available to me to advance the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter, and to ensure that the United Nations is not on the periphery of issues that have global impact. In closing, an effective Secretary-General in today's context must possess two essential strengths, in my view: discernment and versatility. She must be an administrator, peacemaker, mediator, broker, negotiator, convener, and spokesperson. More importantly, she must be able to discern which role is most appropriate in any given situation. I believe that I have acquired these skills during the period of my time as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana, Minister of Amerindian Affairs, as an international civil servant, and as a Permanent Representative right here in these halls representing my country. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] I do believe that I am ready for the task ahead. And I thank you.

I thank Ms. Rodriguez-Birkett. We now proceed to the first segment. Delegations wishing to speak in the first segment are invited to press the microphone button now. Members are reminded that they are encouraged to ask short and focused questions. Interventions should not be more than 2 minutes for delegations speaking in national capacity, and not more than 3 minutes for delegations speaking on behalf of a group of member states. Time limits will be strictly enforced by automatic microphone cutoff. A timer will be projected on screen to assist speakers to observe the time limit. The microphone will start blinking 30 seconds before time limit elapses. As indicated in my letter, after each intervention, the candidate will be given the floor to respond. The response should not be more than 2 minutes for questions from delegations speaking in national capacity, and not more than 3 minutes from delegations speaking on behalf of a group of member states. I will remind candidates of their time limits. Civil society questions will be interspersed with questions for member states. As mentioned in my letter, and as mentioned before, we will now focus on leadership abilities, experience and skills needed to lead a strong organisation that is fit for the future. As a first speaker, I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Andorra on behalf of the group of La Francophonie ambassadors, followed by the European Union and EUIOGRAI.

Merci.

Thank you, Madame President. On behalf of the Francophone ambassadors, I'd like to welcome the organisation of this interactive dialogue. And I would like to thank Caroline for explaining your strategic vision to us here. At a time when the United Nations has to respond to systemic crises and a growing fragmentation of the international order, we feel that the issue of multilingualism is a strategic lever to reinforce the legitimacy efficiency of the multilateral system, and we would like to hear your position, personal position on this, and how you can ensure multilingualism is kept at the highest level. And could you explain your— your work in the United Nations in French and the interest that you have shown in multilingualism throughout your career? And how, as Secretary-General, will you make multilingualism a structural part of your mandate and not just a functional routine issue? And how will you ensure that the composition of your team, your close team, accurately reflects the linguistic diversity of the UN and regional differences? And then with regard to governance in the Secretariat, how do you plan to develop develop human resources practices to ensure that linguistic ability is fully optimized and appreciated in your office, particularly with regard to career progression within the Secretariat. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Andorra.

On behalf of the group of La Francophonie ambassadors, please,

Thank you for the question, Andora.

Let me say that my personal position on lingualism, multilingualism, is full support for this. I come from the Arhuac group, and my language has been lost, and it's part of my culture that has been lost. And so I support multilingualism on different levels, including here, of course, in the United Nations. I know that there has been progress on the strategy for multilingualism in the UN, but we have more work to do in terms of web parity. We have been utilizing AI, the Secretariat is already utilizing AI, uh, with human review, and we have more work to do in making use of that tool. In terms of the staff and the team that would be around me, I would certainly ensure that multilingualism is not just an administrative issue, but a core part of the UN. In terms of my relationship with French, I love French. I started learning French. Me désolée, je ne parle pas français.

I'm sorry, but I don't speak French.

My efforts in this regard. But multilingualism will be central as I move forward should I be elected.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the European Union on behalf of the EU and its member states.

Thank you, Madam President, and welcome to Miss Rodrigues-Briquet here in this room. At this critical juncture, the United Nations needs a Secretary-General who can build trust—that's fundamental—reduce polarization and bridge divides. It also needs a Secretary-General that is fully prepared to defend and promote full respect for the UN Charter and international law, and all three UN pillars equally. We emphasize this last point because the European Union Our leading political, operational and financial support to the UN reflects precisely this 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, hand in hand with the United Nations. On sustainable development, we provide today close to 50% of all ODA and over one-third of all voluntary contributions to the UN system, intent on safeguarding the SDGs and on battling inequality. And on human rights, we are committed to protecting and defending all human rights—civil and political, economic, social and cultural—with equal vigour. We are therefore deeply concerned with recent normative attacks on human rights, including on women's and girls' full enjoyment of human rights and on gender equality, as well as racial, religious, political and other forms of discrimination and persecution. And also with the fact that, remarkably, only 1% of the UN system's spending is dedicated to human rights mandates, in a clear imbalance between the three UN pillars. Against this backdrop, we wish to ask the following questions: Would you agree that the promotion and protection of all human rights, with individuals as rights holders, is indispensable to achieve peace and security and sustainable development as well, and vice versa. From your knowledge and experience, can you offer a concrete example where the protection of human rights has boosted sustainable development or peace and security, or where the violation of human rights has regressed sustainable development or peace and security? Finally, as Secretary-General, how do you plan to protect and increase the funding of the human rights pillar, which was explicitly mandated in the Pact for the Future? Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the European Union. Please, Caroline Rodrigues Béquer.

I thank the representative of the EU. I would like to say once again that the Secretary-General's only bias should be to the Charter and international law, and this will be what I will do when I become Secretary-General. On the issue of the budget for human rights and only 1% being allocated in the budget, I believe that in the current financial crisis, we have to look for ways and means of how we can increase this. But I also see the investment in development and the investment in peace and security as also investment in human rights, because when conflicts arise, many times human rights is one of the things that suffers immediately. In terms of an example, when I became Minister of Foreign— of Amerindian Affairs in 2001, There was one indigenous doctor in the whole of Guyana. And the investment that we made in education over the next 15 years after that, we saw a really big jump in terms of the numbers, not only of medical doctors, but engineers and other professionals. And this was one of the human rights that we invested in, of course, the right to education. [SPEAKING INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE] And so that to me is one of the concrete examples where we saw an investment in human rights resulting in sustainable development. The same thing we saw when we invested in the Amerindian Act, which is a legislation that governed the rights of indigenous peoples. It was the first in our country for over 60 years, and we gave the rights in that law to Indigenous people, to their land, to their own governance mechanisms, their own systems. And from then, 2006, to today, we have seen how the investment in that law, in the rights of Indigenous peoples, has improved their conditions overall in my country. Very measurable. So I would say those are not one, but two examples that I give you. How do we improve the budget for human rights in this organization. Of course, I will certainly have to work with member states to do this. And so I thank you for those questions.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Uruguay on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, followed by Ukraine and the first civil society organization.

It's a pleasure to see you there as a candidate, Madame. The group of the G77 and China attach great importance to the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and reaffirm the need to ensure that this process remain open, transparent, and inclusive in accordance with the relevant General Assembly resolution. Questions. The first one refers to the UN Haiti initiative introduced by the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. What is your assessment of the proposal and how do you believe it to advance a United Nations that is more effective, efficient, and deliver greater impact on the ground? How would you ensure that any related reform fully respects the intergovernmental nature of the United Nations, preserves the balance among its three pillars, and does not come at the expense of development mandate or priorities of developing countries? Second, with the 2030 deadline fast approaching, how would you ensure the fully and timely implementation of the Agenda for Sustainable Development, bearing in mind the universality and indivisibility of the goals and targets, the principle of the common but differentiated responsibilities, and the commitment to leave no one behind? Specifically, how do you envisage the role of the Secretary-General and the UN Secretariat in advancing this objective? Number 3, if you were appointed as Secretary-General, how would you ensure equal and fair distribution based on gender and geographical balance and prescribed by Article 101 of the Charter and relevant General Assembly resolutions, particularly in terms of the overall increase in the representation of represented, underrepresented, and underrepresented countries, specifically for developing countries? And the senior-level appointment with the UN Secretariat and the broader UN system? Number 4, at the time of shrinking fiscal space and declining ODA, rising debt burdens, and widening development gaps, how would you, as Secretary-General, mobilize the United Nations system to defend and advance the development pillar, accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and support financing for development in manner fully responsible to the priorities of developing countries? In the light of the organization's persistent liquidity crisis, including the warning of a potential race to bankruptcy, what concrete measure would you, as a Secretary-General, undertake to promote compliance with the member states' financial obligations, ensuring that assessed contributions are paid in full, on time, and without conditions? Thank you. The Group of 77 and China underscored the importance of safeguarding the full independence and partiality and institutional integrity of the Secretariat while ensuring that it provides equitable and effective support to all Member State representations in the discharge of their responsibility.

I thank the distinguished representative of Uruguay on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Thank you to Uruguay for the questions on behalf of G77. In terms of advancing the 2030 Agenda, I think that we all could agree that the deficit is in implementation. We have the blueprint, and linked to the deficit in implementation is the deficit in access to finance. And so I will work with member states on the implementation of the Sevilla Commitment, in particular reform of the financial institutions. I would engage with member states to work on ways on how we can advance the reform of the international financial institutions, together, of course, with the IFIs themselves. I would also, in terms of the geographic representation. You're right, Article 101 speaks of merit and consideration for geographical representation. This would be the first point of reference in hiring, in our recruitment policy, once I am Secretary-General, to look at the unrepresented and underrepresented countries. And I'm well aware that many developing countries face the challenge of capacity even to apply sometimes. and so we will work with member states who are unrepresented and underrepresented to do that. In terms of advancing the development pillar, I think we all will agree in this room that development is a vector for peace, and so we must never forget the interlinkages between the three: development, human rights, and peace and security. And so any work that we do in the peace and security aspect is also related to development and vice versa. On the— in terms of the finances as well, I would say that in the reform, the UN 80 reform, work stream 3 would be extremely important as we look at the structural alignment of the organization, how we could better serve the people of the world. The RC system, for example, has improved delivery in many cases,— and we have to look at ways of how we can strengthen this. The role of the Secretary-General, I see, is providing all the objective information to Member States so that this remains, of course, a Member States-driven process, but it's important that Member States have the information that is needed when they are considering those structural reforms to deliver better on the— across the various pillars of the United Nations. Thank you. So my assessment of the UNHCR proposal is a good assessment. I think we have made significant headway on mandates and on efficiencies in the Secretariat. The structural alignment, I think, is where the greatest impact would be, and so this is why member states need to be fully prepared, and as Secretary-General, I would provide the information they need. I thank you.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on behalf of the Benelux countries, followed by Ukraine and the civil society organization.

Thank you, Madam President, and I thank Ambassador Rodrigues Birkett for your inspiring vision. I speak on behalf of the Benelux, a longstanding regional partnership comprising Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, my own country. We align ourselves with the statement delivered by the European Union. We consider that the UN needs, above all, a Secretary-General with proven leadership and reform credentials, capable of guiding a complex organization in a time of geopolitical tension and financial pressure. We attach particular importance to a Secretary-General who can strengthen trust in multilateralism and the international legal order, who can act as a strong convening power across all three pillars, and a Secretary-General who can proactively contribute to prevention, peacebuilding, and mediation. At the same time, we see a need to strengthen the UN's financial sustainability, accountability, and system-wide coherence. We place high value on leadership that can connect the UN's development work with broader efforts on peace, security, and human rights, particularly in times of systemic stress. Ambassador Rodríguez-Birguet, in your vision statement and also today, you underline that an effective Secretary-General today must be administrator, peacemaker, mediator, broker, negotiator, convener, and spokesperson, and that she should, where necessary, make anticipatory use of Article 99 and her good offices. Our question is, how would you translate this more proactive and versatile role into practice to strengthen the UN's credibility on peace and security particularly in situations where the UN is currently perceived as too late or too absent? Our second and final question is, could you kindly share your early thinking on the composition of your senior leadership team, including the Deputy Secretary-General? How would you approach considerations such as regional balance, gender, and a specific qualities needed to support your priorities. We would appreciate hearing more from you. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Madam Gevterpoel.

I thank Netherlands for the questions. As Secretary-General, I'd be willing to pick up the phone and call and to speak with the parties concerned especially when the information before me anticipates that something bad might happen. And so built on the anticipatory side, but I know that I'm— if I am elected, I'm coming in as Secretary-General when we have several conflicts around the world. And so I would make all the tools available in my office available to ensure that we advance peace. Importantly, we would look to see— I would look to see where there are deltas for advancement. I know that the Secretary-General and the UN is not the only actor in the space. There are many countries that are involved in mediation and in advancing peace. and so I will also work with them to see what role the UN can play when they are at the forefront of those efforts. Whatever the situation, the UN must be visible. The world must see that the UN is involved and that the UN is not franchising out peace and security and not being engaged with the parties on the ground. So that would be my approach, not being afraid to be rejected, not being afraid to fail, but always being ready and willing to make that call. Secondly, in terms of the senior leadership team, as I mentioned before, regional balance would be extremely important, gender balance as well, but also to ensure that we have the most competent people in this Secretariat that can advance the vision that I have outlined, so that not only is the UN early, not only is the UN present, but that the world knows what the UN is doing. I think we need to improve on our communication with the world, and this would be also a centerpiece should I be elected Secretary-General. Thank you. —because in this way, if the world knows what the UN is doing, the support for our work will increase. I'm not saying that work is not ongoing in this regard, but in my travels in the fields, speaking with young people and others, I think there is a gap between what the UN is doing and what is being transmitted out there. So there's work on many fronts to do, and as Secretary General, this is what I intend to focus on.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ukraine on behalf of the Lubmin Triangle.

Madam President, first of all, I wish to thank the President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, for convening this important interactive debate. And continuing this good tradition. I am also grateful to Caroline Rodrigues-Birkett for presenting your clear vision and priorities as a Secretary-General candidate. As many colleagues in this hall, I have had the pleasure of closely working with you, dear Caroline, in your current capacity as PR of Guyana, especially during your tenure as Non-Permanent Member State, and I have always appreciated your strong dedication to the UN values and principles, your professionalism and your openness. Madam President, I am honored to take the floor and pose a question to this distinguished candidate on behalf of a group of States called the Lublin Triangle, comprising Lithuania, Poland and my own country, Ukraine. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has produced documented patterns of outrageous war crimes deliberate missile attacks on civilians, forceful deportation of Ukrainian children, arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence. Existing UN mechanisms have unfortunately proven ineffective to compel accountability. What would be your vision for enhancing coordination between the UN system, the International Criminal Court, and existing fact-finding mechanisms to ensure— that there is no impunity? How should the UN strengthen cooperation with existing international and national investigative mechanisms to support the impartial documentation, preservation, and verification of evidence of war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine? And what role should the Secretary-General's good offices play when a permanent member of the Security Council, commits war crimes on a systematic scale and abuses its veto power to block respective decisions of the Council. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished Representative of Ukraine. On behalf of the Lublin Triangle, Excellency has the floor.

Thank you, Excellency, for the question. Let me say that whether— wherever the Charter is violated, wherever international law is violated, it is a responsibility of the Secretary-General to highlight those. And so I think that it would not be with one conflict only, it would be with all the conflicts that I see. And in my time on the Security Council, I've heard from member states where they felt that some conflicts receive more priority than others. And so I think it would be important for the Secretary-General to apply the principles or to uphold the principles in the Charter and international law throughout the conflict landscape. I am aware that the General Assembly has passed a resolution on documentation in the particular circumstance, and the work of the Secretariat, the way I see it, is where that resolution requires support from the Secretariat. As it is for all other resolutions, that support will be provided. And let me just say that it is for all member states, all, and for the Secretary-General to uphold the Charter. I thank you.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the first civil society organization, Saudi Green Building Forum, as a stakeholder unfortunately was unable to join due to unforeseen circumstances. A representative from the UN Secretariat Civil Society UNI will read out the stakeholder's question on behalf of the stakeholder. Please, you have the floor.

On behalf of Saudi Green Building Forum, Article 71 of the United Nations Charter established the consultative role of non-governmental organizations within the UN system. Today, More than 6,400 NGOs hold consultative status with ECOSOC, contributing a vast body of knowledge, expertise, and field experience from around the world. If elected Secretary-General, how would you transform this global civil society network from a consultation mechanism into a strategic source of synergy and actionable intelligence that helps member states make better-informed decisions based on their own national circumstances while maximizing the benefits of multilateral cooperation? Thank you.

I thank the civil society representative, the Saudi Green Building Forum. Excellency, please, you have the floor.

I thank the representative of civil society for the question. The United Nations is at its core a member-state-based organization. And the role of NGOs, I see, is one where we can receive proposals and suggestions. In my time as co-facilitator for 3 UN processes, the universal health coverage and also the establishment of the youth office, we had widespread consultation with civil society and we received many good recommendations, many of them converged with that of member states, and I know that President of the General Assembly and many of the processes that the UN is engaging in, that civil society is consulted. So I think that there is— will be a continued role for civil society, and I recognize that important role, and it's for us to find ways and means, but mainly for member states to decide on this, on how we better consult and involve civil society, mindful of the organization being member-state intergovernmental in nature.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Austria on behalf of the Group of Friends on the Rule of Law, followed by Angola and Kenya.

Thank you, Madam President, Excellencies. I have the honor to deliver this question on behalf of over 50 cross-regional members of the Group of Friends of the Rule of Law. But allow me before I do that to just for one short personal remark how much, dear Carolyn, many of us PRs value your personality, your clarity of thought, and your candidature. Excellencies, in recent years we have witnessed breaches of even the most fundamental provisions of the UN Charter, including the obligation of all member states to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force as well as mass atrocities committed at large scale in grave breach of international law. All this paired with the failure of the Security Council to take action in response. So the questions of the Group of Friends of the Rule of Law to you are today what concrete What proactive and preventive measures would you personally pursue if elected as Secretary General to strengthen the rule of law and prevent breaches by member states of the Charter's principles and of international law? And in addition, what specific preventive diplomacy measures would you launch or strengthen? I thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Austria on behalf of the Group of Friends on the Rule of Law.

Please.

I thank the representative of Austria, including for his kind words. What concrete measures can the Secretary General take in terms of strengthening the rule of law? I think this is a combined responsibility for all of us member states, and whatever tools that are at my disposal, I will use to strengthen the rule of law. I must indicate that in terms of the relationship between the Secretary-General and the Security Council. I will aim to provide information to the Security Council in a proactive way to prevent some of what we see happening today. But I'm very conscious that this— there are clear geopolitical— it's a geopolitical climate that the Secretary-General would have to operate in, and I think I knew that the willingness of the parties would be an important factor, but I will be proactive, as I said, in not being afraid to fail, but always ensuring that I reach out as Secretary-General. Today we have more than 120 conflicts in the world, and I think from all the reports that we have seen, it's the largest number since World War II, and so ramping up the efforts of the Secretary-General would be extremely important throughout the world, and this is what I will do.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Angola on behalf of the group of Portuguese-speaking countries, followed by Kenya and Denmark.

Thank you, Madam President. At the outset, I congratulate Ambassador Caroline on her nomination and thank her for presenting her vision statement. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, CPLP. The CPLP brings together 9 countries with more than 280 million people across 4 continents, united by a common language and strong cultural ties. Our member states are also connected by Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. The CPLP attached great importance to the United Nations and to effective multilateral cooperation. As a community linked by oceans, we view ocean governance as a cross-cutting priority closely connected to sustainable development, food security, climate action, and international cooperation. In this regard, could you share your vision for elevating ocean issues across the United Nations agenda? How would you advance implementation of the BB&J Agreement, strengthen efforts against illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing, and mobilize financing for a sustainable and inclusive blue economy? In my national capacity, I would like to raise three brief questions. First, on implementation. You have argued that the key challenge facing the United Nations is not a lack of commitment, but a lack of delivery. What would be your single highest priority in your first year to accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goals, and why? Second, on leadership, you have emphasized proactive diplomacy and full use of the tools provided by the Charter. Could you identify one current global crisis where, as Secretary-General, you would pursue a different approach from the current being taken by the United Nations and what outcome you will seek to achieve? Third, on reform, you have expressed support for the UN aid reform agenda and for a more agile and effective United Nations. If difficult budgetary decisions become necessary, what guiding principle would determine what organization must protect at all costs, and how would you ensure that United Nations remains both effective and true to his mandate to protect the most vulnerable. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Angola on behalf of the group of Portuguese-speaking countries. Please, Your Excellency.

Thank you to Ambassador of Angola for the questions. Oceans, I believe, is already central in the work of the United Nations, and whatever we can do to strengthen that, as Secretary-General, I would certainly do that. Including the implementation of the BBNG agreement, where support by member states is requested from the Secretariat. I am aware that a lot of work is being done on IUU fishing, particularly by the Food and Agriculture Organization. Some of this work was being done with some of the big tech companies in terms of satellite imaging, for example, to— Thank you. See where IUU fishing is taking place. And so, of course, we will leverage the entire system, including the work being done as FAO, and as Secretary-General, I would certainly do that. Because oceans, it's very important, of course, for your group, for small island developing states as well, and many times capacity is an issue on IUU fishing. On delivery of the SDGs, as I mentioned before, the issue of financing, would be a top priority, working with the IFIs, and also utilizing the tools that you member states have already approved, like the MVI and the work that is being done on Beyond GDP. This will be important tools, I think, as we engage the IFIs, particularly looking at vulnerability for those states that right now find it very difficult to access concessional financing, because of the frameworks that exist right now. In terms of identifying one global crisis, I think that would be a little bit difficult for the Secretary-General to do, I think, right now, given that there are a number of global crises and you don't want to be accused of having a hierarchy of crisis and how you see them. But what I certainly would do once I'm elected Secretary-General is to have an assessment or look at what is before me in terms of the assessment where the Secretary-General intervention might yield speedy results. And so that's how I would approach that. On the UNHCR reform agenda and the difficult financial situation and where budget cuts would be necessary and how I would approach that, I would be guided, of course, by member states but would provide that information that they need in making those decisions for cuts. In particular, I would provide information to ensure that we do not roll back on the development gains that we have made. And so the UN 8A agenda, as I see it, is a continuous review, because once we are implementing, we should be able to know whether these measures that we are implementing are good or that they are rolling back on our development gains, and that information I would provide to member states so that they could make the decisions that would be appropriate.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Kenya on behalf of the UNAID Global Group.

Thank you, Madam President. I wish to raise the following question on behalf of the UNHCR global group, across regional group of member states that includes Barbados, Indonesia, Jordan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Senegal, Singapore, and my own country, Kenya. Excellency, Ms. Caroline Rodriguez-Birkett, should you be selected as the next Secretary-General, What will you do to maintain and strengthen trust between the Secretariat and the Member States, the Executive Office of the Secretary-General and the rest of the system, and the global confidence in the UN? I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Kenya on behalf of the UNAID Global Group. Please, Secretary-General.

Thank you to Kenya, as I said in my vision statement, I would be accessible to all member states, but also I'll be proactive in meeting with member states, in particular the permanent representatives that are based here in New York. Any proposal that I would make, before I do so, I will be consulting with member states across the UN. And so that would be my approach in terms of strengthening the relationship between my office and member states, but also the wider Secretariat. Trust-building, I think, is an ongoing activity for all of us, and member states must have the confidence in the Secretariat, and the Secretariat, of course, must also always be available for two member states. In terms of global confidence in the United Nations, as I mentioned before, part of my vision— in part of my vision, I would like to improve the communication with our global publics. Many times I am told that there are difficulties in countries and parliaments receiving approval for funding for the United Nations. As a former foreign minister, I used to have to defend the contributions to organizations, international organizations, and I know how important the provision of information to not only the public but the Ministry of Finance was in that regard. And so I think it's important for us to say to our public, the work of the United Nations the good work that we are doing, the challenges we face, but also how we are going to address them. So that I would put a lot of focus on in communicating better, both at the country level but globally as well.

I thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Denmark on behalf of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group, followed by the next civil society organization and Nepal.

Thank you, Madam President, and thank you to Ambassador Rodrigues-Becquet for presenting your candidacy here today. I wish you all the best of luck in your campaign. I would like to ask two questions on behalf of the Accountability, Coherence, and Transparency Group, also known as ACT. The ACT Group is a cross-regional group comprised of 27 small and mid-sized countries committed to a transparent and accountable UN and seeking to improve the working methods of the Security Council. So my questions are as follows. First, the selection and appointment process for the Secretary-General is fundamentally a joint process between the Security Council and the General Assembly, but it's not the only area where they have a complementary mandate. How do you see the role of the General Assembly in the maintenance of international peace and security? And the second question is, the General Assembly has underlined the importance for candidates to embody the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. The civil society organization One for Eight Billion has published a set of principles for integrity for Secretary-General campaigns and have asked all the candidates to commit to them. Are you willing to commit to these principles, and if not, why?

Thank you.

I thank the representative of Denmark on behalf of ACT. Ambassador Burkitt.

I thank the representative of Denmark for her question. In relation to the question on the role of the General Assembly in the maintenance of international peace and security, I think that role is very well prescribed already, and so I see the General Assembly being the wider community, and we must, I think, find ways to support members of the General Assembly as they implement that role. But as a Secretary-General, I would not be able to say to the General Assembly, this is exactly what you should do. This is a member state-driven responsibility, I would say. But I do know, and I cannot disregard it from my previous experience just recently, that there is a loud call for the General Assembly to play a greater role in the maintenance of international peace and security precisely because of the proliferation of global conflicts and the belief that more can be done by the Security Council and the General Assembly, and the importance for this to be communicated to our world. In terms of the principles that you ask whether I would abide with them, the answer is yes. Thank you.

Thank you. I now invite the Assembly to view a prerecorded video by Blue Africa Africa, Blue and Coastal Community.

Good day, ladies and gentlemen, all protocol observers. My name is Abiola Oyekon. I'm representing Blue Africa. I want to thank the organizer of this program for the opportunity to ask the UN Secretary General-designate question. My question centered on the UN Haiti Initiative and the legacy of the future summit, you know, which actually presents an opportunity to reshape the United Nations by raising the Secretary General's budget by 20% and also merge key agencies. Thank you. As the incoming Secretary-General, your leadership role is very critical in navigating the political complexity of this transformation. How will you ensure this drive for efficiency does not compromise the UN's ability to deliver on its core mandates? Thank you.

Ambassador Rijks.

Thank you, Ms. Fabiola, for your question. As I said in my opening statement, I believe that there is consensus that the UN can do things different and can do things better, and UN Haiti Initiative is a recognition of that. It is true that we are in a liquidity crisis, and we will have to make certain adjustments. And it's important that we, when we make those adjustments, that we do not compromise the efficiency. But I also believe that we could have a structural alignment that would preserve the functions of the various agencies, funds, and programs, and that we could be better able to deliver. As Secretary-General, as soon as I take office if elected. I would also look to see where we can have greater efficiencies and advise member states accordingly on that. But the truth is we do have a liquidity crisis and we have to work in some ways backwards to ensure that we do not reverse the gains that have been made. So that is why I said my vision is both realistic and pragmatic because these are the constraints that we face right now and we have to do better with less and we have to see how that will be done. But at the end of the day, I will work with member states on this.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the Republic of Korea, who is also speaking on behalf of Egypt, Myanmar, Norway, and Peru.

Thank you, Madam President. Thank you, Ambassador Lourdes Braguette, for joining us today. I have the honor to deliver these questions on behalf of Egypt, Myanmar, Norway, Peru, and my country, Republic of Korea, member states whose nationals have served as Secretary-General of the United Nations. The responsibilities entrusted to the Secretary-General under the Charter are profound. While the Charter designated the Secretary-General as the chief administrative office of the organization, it also assigned the office an independent political role in maintenance of international peace and security. As complex conflicts continue to unfold across the globe and calls for reform of the organization grow ever stronger, The United Nations require a Secretary-General who can successfully navigate both the political and managerial dimension of the role, equal parts diplomat and advocate, civil servant and CEO. As countries whose nationals have served as Secretary-General, our questions are, first, the office of the Secretary-General frequently require difficult judgment between principles and pragmatism, public advocate and quiet diplomacy, action and restraint. During your wide-ranging and long career in public service, have you ever faced such a situation where you have to make such difficult judgment? What lessons and principles from those experiences would guide you as Secretary-General? Second, looking at— you paid tribute to the former Secretary-Generals. Looking at the on-the-job experiences of previous Secretary-Generals, what lessons would you believe remain most relevant for the next Secretary-General? And in my national capacity, I would like to add one more question. At a time when the international community's attention is increasingly pulled in multiple directions, how can the UN ensure that longstanding challenges to peace and security, including those on Korean Peninsula, receive the sustained and consistent engagement they demand? I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea, also speaking on behalf Egypt, Myanmar, Norway, and Peru. Your Excellency.

I thank the representative of Korea for the question, and you did underscore that the Secretary-General is a chief administrative officer. I think the role has also evolved in terms of the expectations of member states to be much more than the chief administrative officer, chief diplomat, as the chief spokesperson, and certainly I will fulfill those expectations working with member states, I hope, bringing both my political experience and also my managerial experience to the task. I spoke about principled pragmatism in my opening statement. I do believe that pragmatism is extremely important, but I also believe that pragmatism without principles can sometimes border on what are not the right things to do. So principled pragmatism will certainly guide me. Throughout my career, I've never had to make a decision where something pragmatic might conflict with my principles. I have no illusions of this job, but I pray that I would never have to do that, and if I do, I would have to fall on the side of principle. In terms of what I've learned from past Secretary Generals, and I have been, of course, reading a bit from the work of past Secretary Generals, I know for sure they don't sleep a lot, but I also know that— In many of the cases, the conversations with member states and keeping closely in touch with permanent representatives helped to buoy the Secretary-General when making decisions, and that is something that I take from several of the past Secretary-Generals that I would apply should I become Secretary-General. I thank you.

I thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Nepal on behalf of the Least Developed Countries, followed by Singapore and Australia.

Thank you, Madam President. At the outset, the Least Developed Countries Group would like to thank you, Madam Carolina Druick-Breckert, for your clear, thoughtful, and substantive presentations. As you are aware, the least developed countries face the greatest structural vulnerabilities and challenges, and they are lagging the furthest behind in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. On this, the LDC group would welcome Madam SG Candidate's views on the following questions. First, if elected as Secretary General, what concrete steps will you take to reestablish the United Nations LDCs as the central platform for addressing the global peace and security, development, and financing issues? And how will you ensure that LDCs meaningfully remain at the table to shape the decisions rather than remain on the margins? Second, what will be your strategic approach to mobilize and direct adequate, predictable, and consistent resources to LDCs and how will you reorient the UN deployment system so that supporting LDCs to achieve the SDGs and smooth, irreversible and sustainable graduation becomes a visible system-wide priority at country level? Third, in the face of the ongoing financial constraint, how will you ensure that the resources and dedicated support to LDCs, including to the LDC-dedicated UN mechanisms, are protected and strengthened rather than reduced, and what specific measures will you put in place? Fourth, as the UN faces unprecedented challenges from within and outside, which yourself highlighted during your presentations, what strategic approach will you undertake to reinvigorate the UN's development pillar to address problems like poverty eradication, inequality, social protections, and sustainable financing, and deliver transformative system-wide support for the LDCs, ensuring that the promise of the UN Charter translates into tangible, lasting progress to those furthest behind. I thank you.

Thank you.

Thank the distinguished representative of Nepal on behalf of the least developed countries. Your Excellency.

I thank the permanent representative of Nepal for his questions. We all say in the UN that we should leave no one behind, and I believe that the LDCs are some of the countries that if we do not advance on the development pillar are the most likely to be left behind. So this must be a priority for the entire United Nations, and certainly, as Secretary-General, it will be a priority for me. You indicated how— you asked how I would ensure that the LDCs are not on the sidelines of decision-making. I think that we have to work together to make sure that the LDC voices together are heard in all the different spaces and in all the negotiations that are taking place, specifically on the UN reform and Workstream 3, which is the structural alignment, because that is where the impact will be most in terms of UN delivery. I mentioned before the issue of financing and the work that I intend to do together with member states working with the IFIs to not only improve concessional financing, but also the general reform that would be needed to advance the SDGs. An important component of what I would like to focus on is also engagement with the private sector. There are lots of resources out there, but how we leverage the private sector, I think it will be very important, and so— Thank you. I will work to have very clear ideas on how we can do this to advance development. On the— ensuring the development pillar, it's all about that, that I just mentioned there, the deficit in the implementation of the SDGs. We are going to only be achieving 18% of the SDGs by 2030. The post-2030 framework we have to start thinking about that. Member States would have to start thinking about that shortly. But I also believe that the Pact for the Future, it's important in these discussions as we speak about implementation. After all, it was meant to turbocharge the implementation of the SDGs. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Singapore on behalf of the small states.

Thank you very much, Madam President, and a warm welcome to Ambassador Caroline Rodriguez-Birkett. On a personal note, let me say that I'm delighted to see that an experienced diplomat and an exemplary permanent representative has stepped forward as a candidate, and I wish her all the best. Madam President, I have the honor indeed to deliver this statement on behalf of the Small States Group.— a cross-regional grouping of small states comprising both developed and developing countries. More than 50 countries have aligned with this statement, and the list will be made available after the meeting. Ambassador Rodriguez-Birkett, as you well know, we are living in a volatile and dangerous period in international relations, characterized by geopolitical tension and conflict. For small states, an effective multilateral system founded on the principles of the UN Charter and international law is not an option, but an existential necessity. The next Secretary-General will play a critical role not only in defending the UN Charter, but also in reinvigorating and reshaping the role and relevance of the United Nations. We look to the Secretary-General to safeguard the interests of all Member States, especially the interests of the smallest, weakest, and most vulnerable members of the UN. We do not want a world of might is right, where international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of small states are violated with impunity. The members of the SSG stand ready to work with the next Secretary-General and all Member States to strengthen the role of the UN and to defend international law and multilateralism. In the interest of brevity, I will ask just two questions. First, what steps will you take to strengthen the role of the General Assembly, especially at a time when the Security Council has been unable to take decisive action And a related question: How will you support and strengthen the office of the President General— of President of the General Assembly? Second, we are at a critical moment when public perception of the United Nations seems to have become critical and even cynical in many countries. How do you plan to galvanize support for the work of the UN, especially among younger people around the world who represent the future in all our societies? Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Singapore on behalf of the Small States Group. Please, Your Excellency.

Thank you, Ambassador, for your questions on behalf of the Small States Group. I'm from a small state, and so I know the value of the United Nations. We find refuge in the Charter and international law, and by virtue of us being small states, we have to think big. So I am very much aware of the challenges facing small states as well. Some of the small states are, as you mentioned, smallest, weakest, most vulnerable, including, for example, small island developing states who face significant challenges when it comes to the impact of climate change. And so this certainly would be a priority as we go forward, how as Secretary-General I can work better with small states given the peculiarities that many of them face as well. In terms of the role of the General Assembly and how I can work to strengthen the office of the PGA, at the moment, as you know, the— Thank you. The Secretariat or the Secretary-General's role in this is providing the kind of secretarial services, Secretariat services to the PGA. Having been in these halls for the last 5 years, I've heard member states call for a more strengthened office of the PGA, and as Secretary-General, of course, whatever is decided by member states, I would work to ensure that those— that is implemented And even so, whoever is the PGA office in any particular year, as Secretary-General, I would work with the PGA to strengthen that office, making sure that it serves the political function that it was envisaged to serve to all of our people. Young people and how we galvanize young people. I know the benefits of when governments invest in young people. I became a minister at the age of 27, and during that time, it was a time when the ministers were much older than that, and I was the youngest in the cabinet, and the country was a little bit concerned. But a few years later, and even today, it is very difficult to hire someone that is less— that is older than 60. Yes. To serve in some of these things, so it created a sort of a wave. But for me as Secretary-General, I think it's important to communicate with our young people, to galvanize them for the support of the UN. They are the ones active on social media. They are the ones promoting the work of the UN, but I think we need to do more with them, especially where some of them don't even have access. Yes. As well to technology. But I'm all for the young, not that I disregard older people. Thank you.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Australia on behalf of Cairns, followed by Malawi and Palau.

Thank you, President, and Ambassador Carolyn. I don't think there's anybody in the room here or our community in New York who didn't let out a little cheer on your nomination, so a personal congratulations from all of us, of course. I speak for Canada, New Zealand, and of course my own country, Australia, but many of the questions have already preempted what I was going to ask, so I hope they forgive me if I modify a little bit. Three key points and then a question from me. Three key points is really, I think, what's so important about the new Secretary-General is that that person does whatever they can to rebuild institutional credibility, capability, and capacity. Secondly, I think we all look to the Secretary-General to strengthen the good offices role of the function, and we all recognize that requires political courage and effect, and we look to a future Secretary-General to bring that very much to the table. Finally, of course, in terms of points being made, we all recognize, or most recognize, the criticality of the three pillars underpinning the work of the United Nations, and the Secretary-General has a fundamental role in prosecuting that. By way of question, can I ask, all of us have talked a lot about UN 80 and the future of the enterprise. I'd be very interested in your reflections on what are the tangible things you think we can most functionally do out of UN 80, and do you have further ideas of your own as to what sort of reforms you would like to drive that go beyond perhaps what we've already considered. Thank you so much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Australia on behalf of CANES.

Thank you, Ambassador, for the question. You spoke about the institutional credibility and restoring the institutional credibility of the UN, and I know that that credibility has suffered over the years, mainly because, in my view, the UN is judged through the peace and security lens, but the UN is much wider than that and it's delivering in many, many areas— in development, in human rights. But we also face the situation— on the one hand, we want to restore the institutional credibility, so we want to make sure we deliver better, and on the other hand, we face the liquidity crisis. And the balancing of that, I think, would be important. And this is where UNETE, I think, is extremely important, and the work that you member states are doing. As I mentioned before, the good work on improving efficiencies in the Secretariat, we have to continue to do that. The mandate and how we treat with mandates, how member states would treat with mandates, that was a significant piece of work.— and perhaps can bring us to focus in a more laser way on the work of the UN in terms of mandates, but the structural reform aspects, structural alignment and programmatic alignment, I think that how member states proceed with that would be extremely, extremely important. And that is where I see the Secretary-General being central, not in terms of what the Secretary-General would like to see, because this is a member states-driven process, but providing member states with the information from an objective standpoint in terms of what this would mean for the UN's delivery. And, you know, that is going to take some time. I don't expect that that's going to finish by the time the new Secretary-General is in place, but as you know, the Secretary-General and the Secretariat is an implementer. Yes. But certainly got a role to play in providing that type of information. So in terms of tangible steps, that is what I see. I do not— I will confess that I don't have the entire panorama of what can be done in terms of the structural alignment, but this will be a top priority, and we have to safeguard the delivery of the UN to the most vulnerable countries, and in this regard, the RCEP system and how we strengthen that, notwithstanding the issues with liquidity, will be important. It would call for a lot of creativity, but I'm willing to delve into that, and this is where the team around me will be very, very important as well. Thank you.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Malawi on behalf of the African Group.

On behalf of the Africa Group, I thank you, Madam Caroline Roddickes, for presenting your priorities to us, and I would wish to hear from you on the following questions. One, Africa's exclusion from permanent membership of the Security Council reflects both a historical injustice and an ongoing structural inequity affecting decisions on issues central to the continent. What is your position on the Common African Position, and how would you use the convening authority of the office of the— of the office, if you are elected, to advance intergovernmental negotiations, commitment to Security Council reform, and African permanent membership with all prerogatives and privileges. Second, taken that the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of the international peace and security, Security Council Resolution 2719 created a framework of— for AU-led peace support operations authorized by the Security Council to access assessed contributions from the UN regular budget to ensure equitable, predictable, sustainable financing for AUPs and security offices. Yet implementation has stalled. How would you approach the third-year review, and what are the options you intend to propose to ensure an appropriate operationalization of this resolution that will serve the purpose of guaranteeing sustainable financial support to AU-led PSOs instead of shifting the burden to the African Union? What concrete actions would you take to advance reform of the international financial architecture, including improving African representation in the international financial institutions? How would you ensure that climate finance mechanisms, including the Loss and Damage Fund, are accessible to African countries and adequately resourced? Fifth, considering the organization's liquidity constraints, how would you safeguard development mandates and ensure sufficient funding for African-focused programs? Sixth, Africans remain underrepresented at senior levels. What targets would you set and what accountability mechanisms would you advise to ensure progress at P4, P5 level and above? I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Malawi on behalf of the African Group, Your Excellency.

Thank you. Let me speed answer, given the number. Let me start with the UN UN Security Reform. As you know, in my life yesterday, I was representing CARICOM as a coordinator in UNSC Reform, and I believe that what I have heard from many is that we have the consensus on UN Security Council reform, as indicated in the Pact for the Future. And it was a significant step that Africa was included in the pact singled out for— as a special case. And so I think those steps are very, very important. The common African position seemed to have widespread support. In terms of me as Secretary-General in this IGN process, the IGN process is member-state driven, but the Secretariat must always be ready to provide all the support that is needed in the context of the IGN. Thank you. Process, and hopefully we will be able to see some movement on Security Council reform as we move forward. On 2719, I believe that this resolution was a landmark resolution, both in terms of partnership and in terms of cost sharing as well between the UN and the African Union. In terms of what the Secretary-General can do, I think it's important for the Secretariat to be ready when the Security Council chooses a particular situation that they would like 2719 to be implemented or applied. And so, for now, is the Secretary-General ensuring the readiness of the organization to implement 2719. But I also believe that this is one of the experiments in terms of how we do peace operations. Peacekeeping. And it's important that whatever is done, that there is success. But for now, the Secretary-General will have to wait on the Security Council to identify that situation where 2719 could be applied. On the IFIs, I spoke about that and reform of the IFIs, but I was just recently listening to one of the presidents of Africa who spoke about— the continent having $4 trillion in insurance, and that heads of state in Africa are looking to see how that can be leveraged, and perhaps this is— there's a place for the UN support in doing that, and of course my office will be available to work there. On the Loss and Damage Fund, this is important that it be fully operationalized, and whatever the Secretary-General can do I would certainly work to do that. I know many countries still face a lot of challenges in applying for climate finance where they exist, and so that will be continued work as well. And on Africa senior levels, I've spoken about how I will treat with senior staff, ensuring geographical representation and merit.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Palau on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, followed by Uganda.

Madam President, thank you for convening this important dialogue, and I wish to thank Madam Rodriguez-Briket for your interaction with us today. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the 39 members of the Alliance of Small Island States, AOSIS. As a group of countries in special situations, the credibility of the United Nations lies in its ability to respond to the unique circumstances of SIDS, correct longstanding inequities, and deliver results for the most vulnerable. In this regard, allow me to, to pose the following questions: How will you, as Secretary-General, ensure that the United Nations system is more accessible, better coordinated, and tailored to the unique vulnerabilities of SIDS to better and more meaningfully support the full implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS? Thank you. Second, how will you use your leadership to accelerate global ambition and action on climate change, particularly to keep 1.5 within reach while ensuring that SIDS receive scaled-up, predictable, and accessible finance for adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage in line with international commitments? And finally, what specific measures will you take to improve on the underrepresentation of SIDS within the United Nations Secretariat, especially at senior leadership levels, And how will you strengthen pathways for SIDS nationals to shape decision-making across the United Nations? I thank you.

Please, Your Excellency, you have the floor.

I thank the representative of Palau for the question, and I know that member states did a lot of work in terms of the Antigua and Barbuda agenda for SIDS, and the implementation is now that what will be important. I also know that before the ABAS came into being, we had the Samoa Pathway and we did not get very far in the implementation of that, and so we have to dedicate all efforts in the implementation of the ABAS. So whatever the United Nations is involved in, it must be through the prism of the ABAS, the Agenda for SIDS. I've spoke about— spoken about this scaled-up finance and how I intend to use my office to advance the reform of the IFIs. I am aware that the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index is there. The issue is how we get that index to be used by the IFIs and the relevant banks, and so that requires a lot of advocacy, and as Secretary-General, of Of course, course, I will be advocating for that and using the other instruments, as I mentioned before, the work that is being done on Beyond GDP. I see them as complementary, but these are tools that I believe can help us to advance as we work with the international financial institutions. On the underrepresentation and unrepresent— underrepresented and unrepresented countries of SIDS in the UN, Coming from a CARICOM state, and we are in— consider Guyana is considered a SIDS as well. Just recently, we have been asking for information of the Secretariat on the unrepresented and underrepresented, and we know that there are several countries that are included in that group. One of the challenges that we learned from countries too is just the capacity to apply for the positions that are available within the UN, and sometimes our— the publics in the SIDS countries are not aware of what is available. So I think it would be important for the Secretary-General to ensure that countries, not only SIDS but other countries with capacity constraints to apply, are given the resources to do that in terms of the information that we that we have that could be helpful so that we have a pipeline. And so when we have the hiring, we will be able to have SIDS countries included there as well. In terms of the coordination of the UN system, I know that in the ABAS discussions, that there— the discussions focus on what's the best way for the UN to deliver. There are several offices that are working on SIDS. But certainly I know that SIDS in their meetings will be able to come to a position working with the Secretariat so that we have the best mechanism to deliver. Thank you.

Thank you. We have 11:38 and we have exhausted the allotted time for the first segment. While there is still interest from Member States to speak on the first segment, in the interest of time, I invite delegations to proceed to the second segment to allow sufficient time to hear the candidates' response to the question related to the three pillars of the United Nations: peace and security, development, and human rights, which has been mentioned already before by some delegations. As before, civil society questions will be interspersed with questions from member states. Priority will be given to those who have not spoken in the first segment. As the next speaker, I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Uganda on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, followed by Saudi Arabia and— Thank you. Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Madam President, I speak on behalf of the 121 member states of the Non-Aligned Movement. Welcome the holding of the informal dialogue to exchange views with the candidates of the position of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Non-Aligned Movement affirms the leading role of the United Nations in promoting multilateralism and international cooperation which are essential in addressing global challenges that impact the member states of the movement. In this context, I wish to raise the following questions. The Declaration on the Right to Development was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1986. That is almost 40 years ago. What are your views on the right to development, and how would you advance its implementation within the United Nations system? Number 2, how would you assess the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the ability of affected developing countries to achieve sustainable development goals and to fully implement the 2030 Agenda? What concrete actions would you promote in your capacity as the new Secretary-General to strengthen the role of the United Nations in opposing such illegal measures? That violate the UN Charter, urging their elimination and promoting mechanisms to prevent their application. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Uganda on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. Please, Caroline Rodriguez-Birkett.

I thank the representative of the Non-Aligned Movement for the questions. On the Declaration on the Right to Development, indeed it is the 40th anniversary this year and the Declaration deals with both the rights at an individual level and the right at a state level. I'm not oblivious to the discussions and the different views on this matter, but I think as Secretary-General, what I would say is that it's perhaps a good time for member states, given that it's 40 years after, to reflect on this and the implementation of the right to development. It is also included in the Pact for the Future, but let me say, separate and aside, I think we have to ensure that we advance the development pillar. These discussions on the right to development are very important,, but I also believe that the development pillar and how we advance that, there must be no distractions from that as well. On the UCMs and how it affects development, I know that in the— during the COVID pandemic, there was a UN report on that as it relates to COVID. I will have to check if there's any recent report on the overall effect on UCMs on developing countries. I don't have that before me at this point in time, but certainly this would not be the last conversation that I will have, and should I be appointed Secretary-General, I would certainly endeavor to have those discussions with the concerned group, in this case NAM.

I thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia. On behalf of the Arab Group, followed by Saint Kitts and Nevis and the Solomon Islands.

[FOREIGN LANGUAGE] At the outset, I would like to thank you, President, for convening this important session. I would also like to thank the candidate for presenting her vision as a candidate for the position of Secretary-General. I am honored to deliver this statement on behalf of the Arab Group. Mr. President, the Arab Group affirms its willingness to cooperate with the candidates in order to support the role of the United Nations and enhance its ability to deal with challenges and to establish the Charter and to maintain international peace and security and sustainable development and human rights. We have the following questions, and I will avoid the questions that have already been asked. At the outset, taken the— regarding the differences we see in the implementation of international law, how can you ensure coherence and non-selectivity in working with these different international principles so that we can ensure a balanced and fair implementation of international principles? Second, what is your role if you should hold this position in enhancing the effectiveness of the UN system? And the coherence of its efforts towards the Palestinian cause in a way that ensures the balanced implementation of relevant resolutions and to achieve a just and sustained peace in the region. Third, considering what the world is witnessing in an increase in conflicts and the challenges related to that, related to respecting international law principles and the UN Charter, how do you see that the compliance with these international law can be enhanced, especially in relation to the humanitarian aspect and how to better support these organizations such as UNRWA and enabling them to fulfill their role? Fourth and finally, how do you see that the UNAT can be implemented without prejudice to the main mandate of the UN system? Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia on behalf of the Arab Group. Your Excellency.

Thank you to the Ambassador for Saudi Arabia for the questions. On strengthening the respect for rules and especially as it relates to humanitarian law, all member states have subscribed to the UN Charter and have obligations under international law. I'm not oblivious to the fact that we have had many violations of humanitarian law and access to humanitarian assistance for those most in need. As Secretary-General, I will be at the forefront in advocating with the parties' concern to abide with international humanitarian law, especially as it relates to access, but not only to access. I think that you also mentioned the Palestinian question, and so engaging with the parties will be extremely important, not just— all of the parties, I would say, not just on the humanitarian side, but also for the longer-term resolution of the Palestinian question. We have many resolutions of the Security Council, of the General Assembly, and as I said, the roles of the Secretary-General are many, and the appropriate one that can be used by me, should I be appointed Secretary-General, will certainly be applied. In this case. On the issue of the UN 80, I've spoken quite a lot about that and will continue to be engaged with member states as we advance this process of UN 80. But let me just underscore that it's the responsibility of all member states to abide with their obligations under the Charter and their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, and the breaches that we are seeing throughout the conflict landscape is extremely worrying. So as Secretary-General, I think I have my work cut out, should I be elected, to advance those processes where we can find small deltas to bring peace. Thank you.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis on behalf of the Caribbean community, followed by Solomon Islands and the next civil society organization.

Thank you, Madam President. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the 14 member states of the Caribbean community, CARICOM. CARICOM extends heartiest congratulations to Ms. Rodrigues-Burkeitt on her nomination to become the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. We appreciate your service to our community as Permanent Representative of Guyana to the UN and acknowledge your leadership experience in the international system. We commend your willingness to offer yourself to serve in this important role in the service of the international community at this critical juncture. Thank you. CARICOM also thanks you for your presentation of your vision statement, which sets out a clear picture for us of what your tenure as Secretary-General of the United Nations would look like. CARICOM takes this opportunity to pose 4 questions. First, with reference to the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States, ABAS, and the need to ensure adequate follow-up and implementation for this plan, alongside the development of the post-2030 agenda, what are your perspectives on the role of the UN Secretary-General in maintaining focused, systematic support for the ABAS? Second, CARICOM is of the view that the United Nations is the most representative multilateral forum and that the Secretariat should reflect the diversity of of the organization in an equitable manner? What are your plans to ensure that nationals from unrepresented and underrepresented countries have access to the opportunities to increase the representation, especially at the professional and higher levels in the Secretariat?

Thank you.

Third, with the recent adoption of the Pact of the Future and its annexes, member states made commitments to strengthen multilateralism and accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals while taking into account the needs and interests of future generations. The Declaration of Future Generations specifically marked an important normative achievement as it encouraged longer-term decision-making, including through the use of foresight, anticipatory planning, data, and science to allow for better decisions to be made not only for present generations, but for those who will follow us. As Secretary-General, how will you ensure that future generations' considerations are integrated across the UN system, and how do you see this agenda moving forward in practice? And finally, could you elaborate on any specific plans you have to further strengthen the collaboration between the Office of the Secretary-General and the— Secretary-General. Security Council for conflict prevention and resolution. Thank you, Madam President. Congratulations again, Ambassador.

I thank the distinguished representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis on behalf of the Caribbean community, Your Excellency.

I thank the Ambassador for the kind words from the CARICOM family to me, and I've spoken about the implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda agenda for SIDS under the EOSIS question, but just to reiterate that whatever we do at the UN, it must be with SIDS. It should be— it must be in the context of this agenda for SIDS. The main issue, of course, is financing, and I spoke about financing already, but as we continue the UN reform and the structural alignment, I think we have to also ensure that how we treat with multi-country offices and how we treat with the skills that are— the expertise that are required by SIDS would be very important. And so I would ensure that the information that's needed to member states as they consider those adjustments that would have to be made, because I'm advised that adjustments will have to be made, that they do not— roll back what the UN has been able to do in SIDS so far and the general development pillar. The unrepresented and underrepresented, I spoke of that already, and as a member of the Caribbean community and as PR, we were able to see that information, where the gaps are, which countries have— are underrepresented and unrepresented, and I don't think that if I'm— appointed as Secretary-General, it would affect the SIDS ratio in the Secretariat, so we have to make sure that we continue that work. On the future generations and how we integrate future generations in our work in the United Nations, I believe the best legacy we can bequeath to future generations is if we implement the Sustainable Development Goals and the Pact for the Future. It does see the future. For people and for planet, this would be important. I do believe, given that the SDGs and the Pact for the Future represent the global blueprint of how we move forward on development, that this is the best thing we can do for future generations, if implemented. I thank you.

I thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Solomon Islands on behalf of the Pacific Mr. Kassim Hassan, Pacific Island Forum, followed by the next civil society organization.

Thank you, Madam President. I have the honor to address you today on behalf of the members of the Pacific Island Forum represented with a presence in New York. We thank you, Madam President, for this valuable opportunity to engage directly with candidates for the Secretary-General. The Pacific region faces many challenges, some shared by members across the Assembly, others unique to our region. In confronting these challenges, we draw on our strengths, including a commitment to working together through the Pacific Island Forum to deliver for our people. But no challenge is more pressing than climate change, which will disproportionately imperil the lives, livelihood security, and well-being of Pacific people. Secretary-General Guterres' visits to our region helped him to appreciate the gravity of this threat and mobilize international attention. Thank you. It also allowed him to appreciate the region's leadership and to hear firsthand from our communities on the work that they are doing to bolster resilience. The Pacific and the UN have a long history of collaboration, and we want to ensure that this partnership continues and is prioritized under UN's new leadership. We have two questions for all candidates. First, how would you use the office of the Secretary-General to draw attention and mobilize action to address the unique vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States, including Pacific SIDS, and in particular, the impacts of climate change? Second, the UN is often pulled towards crises that dominate headlines, while the other realities unfold more slowly with irreversible consequences. How will you— how will you balance urgent conflicts with the impacts of climate change? What criteria will guide your decision on where attention and political capital will be directed. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Solomon Islands on behalf of the Pacific Island Forum. Your Excellency.

I thank the representative of the Pacific Island Forum for the questions, and I recognize the importance of the impacts of climate change on the region. I think this is true for many of our countries, but the Pacific Island countries face this challenge at an even greater level, and so certainly priority must be accorded to how we treat with the countries in the region. And I'm well aware of the work that SG Guterres has done in terms of the advocacy on climate change. Thank you. I come from a country that I go to bed each night when I'm there 6 feet below sea level, and so I know what one single high tide can cause in terms of damage, and so this certainly will be a priority. How do I draw attention to the vulnerability of SIDS? In answering the questions from EOSYS and CARICOM, I did mention the implementation of the ABAS, will be extremely important, and we have to continue to advocate for the resources to implement that, especially at this time when we have a financial situation. We would have to ensure that those gains are not lost. On the issue of conflicts versus climate change and how would I prioritize and balance the urgent conflicts with climate. Sometimes I believe that we, given the slow onset of climate, we do not see the level of damage that is caused and the level of impacts that is caused, and that might be more seen in a conflict situation. But I believe that both are important, the conflicts and the situation of countries that are affected by climate change. , and I would use what I said in my vision statement, both the discerning skill and also the versatility skill, to ensure that action is taken in both situations where the Secretary-General can intervene and can advocate. I thank you.

I thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of our next civil society organization, The Grail. Please, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. I'm Dr. Graciela Soto, and I'm very honored to speak on behalf of The Grail, an international organization dedicated to advancing women's voices in peacemaking. As the United Nations aid reform moves towards defunding and deprioritizing the women, peace, and security agenda, women peacebuilders in the Global South face growing exclusion from formal political and peacebuilding processes, risking the loss of specialized gender expertise in conflict-affected states. Ms. Rodriguez-Birkett, if elected Secretary-General, what actions will you take to integrate gender expertise into security programs and ensure compliance with Security Council resolutions 1325, 1820, and 1889— in post-conflict and peacebuilding settings and ensure that women-led civil society organizations are meaningfully included in program design and implementation? Thank you.

I thank the civil society organization, The Grail. Please, you have the floor.

I thank the civil society representative for the question. And the Women, Peace and Security Agenda is an important agenda. I'm aware that at this point in time, we just have about 16— between 16 and 18% of women represented in peace negotiations, but I know that work is ongoing to increase that, to improve that, and not just to see women as victims of conflict, but women also as negotiators bringing solutions to conflict, because in most cases,— in all cases, perhaps, they are the ones to suffer, women and children, when conflicts break out. And so I see this as an important agenda. The Security Council resolutions would have indicated what should be done, and the Secretary-General's role is to make sure that those things are implemented, and working with the wide network of UN offices on the on the ground, I see that we could make significant progress in this. But I recognize the work that is also being done on the Women, Peace and Security Agenda by many, many actors, and of course, including your own. Thank you.

Thank you. We have no more requests by groups for the floor, so now we come to member states speaking in national capacity. As mentioned in the beginning, The time limit for member states speaking in national capacity is 2 minutes. The same goes for the answers, and I encourage member states to ask short and focused questions. As the first speaker on behalf of the member state in national capacity, I will give the floor to the distinguished representative of Namibia, followed by Switzerland and the Russian Federation.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President. Ambassador Rodrigues, Namibia congratulates you on your nomination and acknowledges the positive contributions you continue to make at the United Nations. In September 2024, world leaders adopted the most wide-ranging international agreement in many years, namely the Pact for the Future, a notable agreement that has reinvigorated the multilateral system and has given direct direction in a number of important global multilateral thematic areas which are adequately addressed in your vision. My questions are: one, what is your vision to implementing the Pact for the Future and how best can the Secretariat support Member States in its implementation ahead of the 2028 review of the Pact, particularly the reform of the international financial architecture, which is at the core of denying the much-needed funding for development? Two, it is commonly held that when women lead, peace follows. And in the true spirit of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, what advantage would you, as a woman, be bringing in addressing global hotspots that are plaguing the world, particularly in Gaza and Sudan? And 3, what would you do differently from the current Secretary-General in response to today's geopolitical situation? I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Namibia. Please, Your Excellency.

I thank the representative of Namibia for the questions, and in terms of my vision for implementation of the Pact for the Future, As you rightly said, the Pact for the Future was meant to turbocharge the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, and we have to continue to put all our efforts towards that implementation. I think that the 2028 review will come at a very important time, the review of the Pact for the Future, because it will just be 2 years before the— Yes. The SDGs deadline as well, and so I think the work that has to be done going into 2028 and also the post-2030 agenda, the Secretariat would have an important role to play there, and I see the Secretary-General being central in that respect. I spoke of the financing challenges already, but also what work I intend to do as Secretary-General to advance reform of the financial institutions, together with member states, of course, because this is an ongoing activity for us to move forward on this agenda. When women lead, peace follow. That is very true, and we have seen that. You ask what experience and skills I bring on that. Having sat on the Security Council for 2 years and listening to the a scores of report— reports on how our work or the work of the Council affects women or the decisions of the Council and what is happening. I think that I bring that— not just the information but where I have seen that the work done with women would have resulted in peace. In terms of what I will do different to the SG, I believe that each SG is an SG for that particular time, and I hope that my vision would show where there might be some differences in style and management, but I think each SG is for their own time.

I thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Switzerland, followed by the Russian Federation and Peru.

Merci beaucoup.

Thank you very much. I'd like to thank Ambassador Rodriguez for her enriching and succinct presentation this morning. As time is marching on, I'm going to move right on to my questions. First, the United Nations Secretariat is currently confronting growing bureaucratic constraints as well as growing pressure on its staff, and this despite past reform and streamlining efforts. How would you strengthen the commitment engagement of UN staff against a backdrop of financial constraints and heightened security risks? Second question, the ACT Group has crafted a code of conduct for Security Council action when faced with crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Mm-hmm. It calls on Council members to abstain from voting on against credible drafts which seek to condemn such crimes and allows the Council to take rapid action in cases of mass atrocities. What role do you see for the Secretary-General in promoting the implementation of this code of conduct? I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Switzerland. Please, Your Excellency.

I thank the distinguished representative of Switzerland for the Thank you very much for the question. On the issue of the pressure on staff, indeed it's a very challenging time that we're facing, and the staff of the UN, I believe, is one of the greatest assets that we have, and so the motivation of staff, the continued motivation of staff that serve, will be extremely important, and I hope that— I hope to use my skills in bringing together our staff, understanding the situation that we're in to continue to deliver well. On promoting the Code of Conduct, I know that there are a number of countries that have signed on to this conduct, but I believe that in the way we operate as member states, it's already codified in the Charter. It is for us to adhere to the Charter, and that's as member states, —and so as Secretary-General, as I mentioned before, I would be the key holder—upholder of the Charter. I think that's part of my responsibility, and I see that as an obligation when you apply for this job as well. But it—member states also have— are members of this United Nations and have, by virtue of its membership, committed to abide with the Charter.

I thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation.

Spasibo. Thank you, Madam President. The Russian Federation believes it's necessary to select the best candidate for the job, a candidate that maintains the highest standards of professionalism, competency, and upholding of the principles enshrined in the— Charter as a whole, we have the following question for you in light of the above. Can the SG use Security Council resolutions which are non-consensual and which go beyond the mandate, especially when this is an issue on the Security Council's agenda? Second, do you believe that the principles enshrined in the Charter can be ranked in terms of their importance? Can the Secretariat interpret the charter, which the current SG— something the current SG is doing, determining on his own when territorial integrity prevails or when the right to self-determination is what takes precedence. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation. Your Excellency.

I thank the representative of the Russian Federation for the question. I think the decision-making Rules are clear in the Security Council how resolutions are adopted, and once adopted, the role of the Secretary-General and the role of the Secretariat will be as stipulated in those resolutions, and so as Secretary-General, I see my role as ensuring that implementation being done consistent with the resolution. — that's adopted— resolutions that are adopted. I think that the Charter is very clear on many things, and as Secretary-General, I do not see that I will need to reinterpret the Charter. Having spent 5 years here, including 2 years on the Security Council, I've come very, very close with some of the interrogating of the Charter. But I think it's— I'm very clear in my head what the Charter means and what my role as Secretary-General would be in relation to it.

I thank you. I thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Peru, followed by the next civil society organization and Zimbabwe.

Thank you, Madam President, Ambassador Rodríguez Burkett. Please receive the welcome and greetings of Peru. We want to ensure that the UN is strengthened so that it can address the urgent challenges of humanity. Inspired by Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Cuéllar, the only president from the Latin American region, was able to bring about consensus on the international stage, which now we see is becoming ever more complicated. Peru, together with Korea and other countries, and also ACT would like to put the following three questions. Firstly, what is your vision about the role that could and should be played by Latin America and the Caribbean, a peaceful area in the promotion and defense of the UN principles and the strengthening of multilateralism. What concrete actions would you promote to improve effective leadership of the Secretary-General to contribute to the response to emerging threats to international peace and security, such as transnational organized crime, governance, and artificial intelligence? And how would you breathe new life into the Bretton Woods institutions and how would you work more closely on the development pillar and the implementation of the SDG agenda? Thank you.

Thank you. Please, Your Excellency.

I thank the representative of Peru for Thank you, Mr. President, for his questions, and indeed it's a very different time to when Secretary General of Peru was in office, and times are rapidly changing. Indeed, I was told that the developments we've had in the last 5 years, it would have taken 30 years before that for those same type of developments just some years ago. The role of Latin America and the Caribbean I come from that region, as you know, and the peace that we have experienced in that region is the peace that we would like to see everywhere. As Secretary General, this is what I would like to see. But separate from my role as Secretary General, I think Latin America and the Caribbean have been working together for many years, even though we might not have one single organization as such to to promote peace and security. On AI, there's work ongoing by member states, as you know here, but as far as the Secretary-General is concerned, I see that this organization can use AI more effectively, and I certainly see that we can invest more in that. I mentioned earlier the work in multilingualism where the Secretariat is using AI, and that work will continue. On the Bretton Woods institutions, I spoke about how I intend to advocate with member states for the reform of those institutions. It was for another time, after another circumstance, but circumstances have changed and hopefully we will be able to make advances in that regard. I don't want to differentiate one pillar to the other. I think all pillars must be treated equally, but we know that we're Where there is development, there will be peace. Where there is peace, there will be development. And where there are both, we will have human rights.

Thank you. I now invite the Assembly to view a prerecorded video by the Jesuit European Social Centre, our next civil society organization.

Hello, I'm Philippe Martins. I am the director of the Jesuit European Social Centre. A faith-based NGO here in Brussels. And as you know, the UN adopted on the Summit of the Future in September '24 a UN Declaration on Future Generations. And so I have this question to the candidates: what do you think about this declaration and about its importance to the reform of the UN and to address global challenges such as climate change and development? And what, as Secretary-General, will you do to fully implement the provisions on this declaration? Thank you very much.

I thank the representative of the civil society organization. Please, you have the floor.

Thank you. I also thank the representative for the question. On the Declaration on Future Generations, I spoke about this a little bit earlier, but I believe that this declaration was one that was complementary to the Sustainable Development Goals and basically underlying that whatever we do now for this generation, we must also consider future generations. What to do in terms of its implementation I think that I spoke a lot about implementation of the SDGs, of the Pact for the Future, and this is one of the annexes of the Pact for the Future, so my position on implementation of all of this together remain the same, and I will certainly be advocating as Secretary-General for the implementation of these instruments. Climate change and development, I've spoken about this. This is a very important issue, and I think that member states have already underscored that. We have made commitments as member states, that is, they have made commitments in the Paris Agreement, and implementation again will be extremely important. Related to that will be the issue of finance, as I've mentioned before. I thank you.

I thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Zimbabwe, followed by Indonesia and Romania.

Thank you, Madam President. My delegation welcomes the opportunity to engage Ambassador Caroline Rodriguez-Bickett on a vision for the Office of Secretary-General. Zimbabwe underscores that the next Secretary-General must demonstrate proven leadership, the ability to manage complex crises, and the fortitude to safeguard a member-state-driven organization. My question to you, Ambassador, is: You have identified discernment and versatility as essential attributes of an effective Secretary-General. In an increasingly complex and polarized global environment, how would your experience as Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Civil Service, and Permanent Representative enable you to exercise these qualities in building consensus, advancing reform, and ensuring that the United Nations delivers effectively across its three pillars while maintaining the trust of the entire membership and respecting national ownership. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Zimbabwe. Your Excellency.

Thank you to the representative of Zimbabwe. I underscore those two attributes, discernment and versatility. Because in my time, both in government in my country and at the United Nations, I've seen that each situation has its own identity, and we have to understand the underpinnings of what is happening in that particular context. There is no one-size-fits-all, whatever the situation that we're dealing with. I spoke earlier about how we look at our delivery to SIDS, but when we look at conflicts as well, it's the same thing. Each one is different, and so I would be versatile and I would be discerning in terms of what is the best type of action that can be taken by the Secretary-General. That is what I was trying to convey there, and in doing that, I think I would also also be developing trust with the parties, with the membership as well, with member states, because I think that that is important not just between member states or among member states, but also with the Secretary-General and member states, the Secretariat and member states. Thank you.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Indonesia.

Thank you, Madam President. And thank you, Your Excellency, for sharing your vision on the future of the United Nations. In this regard, Indonesia would like to pose the following questions. First, with multilateralism under increasing strain, do you believe incremental reform is sufficient, or is there a need for more fundamental recalibration to the system? And how will you overcome persistent resistance to change while ensuring the UN adapts to current and future realities? The second question is, how do you intend to revitalize the UN's role as the prominent forum for open dialogue among leaders to foster mutual understanding and solidarity in an era of complex fragmentation? Thank you. The third one is how do you envision strengthening meaningful youth participation in shaping global norms and contributing to forward-looking and future-ready multilateral solutions? We look forward to your insight. Thank you, Excellency.

I thank the distinguished representative of Indonesia.

Please, you have the floor.

I thank Indonesia for the questions. On multilateralism, I think we have to continuously work to strengthen multilateralism. I've seen, as I mentioned in my opening statement, the commitment of member states to multilateralism. The fact that we were able to have the Cybercrime Convention and the BB&J Agreement approved, I think it's a sign that multilateralism is still very strong, but we know that there are threats to multilateralism, and I don't see it as one or the other as well, given what is happening in different spheres of the world, but I think that what I see here in the UN is a deep commitment to multilateralism. It is where we set our global norms that we all aspire to live by, and we have to continue to do that. I don't see an alternative to multilateralism. the UN. On the open dialogue amongst leaders, we see the great majority of leaders come here every September to speak in the United Nations, and I know that as member states, several of them have been considering how we make sure that High-Level Week is a week that we are able to listen to leaders and not just —proliferate the week with too many summits and too many activities, but I know that PGA as well is working on that, but as Secretary-General, I see that we can find ways to make sure that we improve the dialogue among our nations using the space here in the UN. On youth, I spoke about this earlier, but I also see that the Youth Office— I was happy to co-facilitate that process with the establishment of the Youth Office,, and we could make more of the youth office in addition to what I've said before in advocating with youths for support to the UN. Thank you.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Romania, followed by the Dominican Republic and the next civil society organization.

Thank you very much, Madam President. Ambassador Rodrigues Birkett, congratulations as well for submitting this candidature. As colleagues have described as well, I think the state of multilateralism is not— at its best, probably. Colleagues talked about polarization in the United Nations as well. The UN is at the center of the multilateral system, and that's why the Secretary-General plays an important and a key role. I would be very much interested, because in the past several years we've been noticing how member states moved from a consensus-based decision towards majority-based decisions, and I think this comes more and more. It's very much linked to the work of the Secretary-General, but also the Security Council and General Assembly on matters related to peace and security as well. A number of key issues on peace and security being reflected amply in the General Assembly for the past several years because of this polarization as well. And I would be interested actually to have your view on the consensus, the preservation of it, or the tendency to move towards a majority-based decision. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Thank you. Please, Your Excellency.

I thank Ambassador of Romania for the question, and as Carolyn Rodrigues, looking at the multilateral situation, of course I've seen that there are times it's very difficult for us to meet to decisions, but I think this is precisely why you have included in the way we do business here in the UN both consensus and majority, and we know that the League of Nations crumbled, particularly because everybody had a veto in that. And so I think how we look at the two, whether it's consensus or majority, we should see it also from that perspective. But when you look at the resolution, resolutions being approved, it's a great majority of countries that I see committed to multilateralism, and I also see that we try our best here in the UN to meet to consensus. So as Secretary-General, of course, I have to be one of the chief promoters of multilateralism. No one should want to do this job if they are not prepared to do that, recognizing that— Thank you. There's the UN, there are others, but preserving the multilateral space I think would be very, very important. So consensus, majority, they both have their purpose and I think it helps to also show the state of multilateralism, if I may say that.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Dominican Republic.

Thank you very much, Madam President, and thank you very much to Ambassador Rodrigues Beckett for discussing very important issues to the members today. As you know, the peacekeeping operations, traditionally speaking, are going through an adaptation crisis given ever more fragmented transnational multidimensional crises. As part of the —current revision—review of peacekeeping operations, what strategic criteria do you think would be essential to guide the transition towards hybrid or non-traditional modalities, including operations authorized but not led by the United Nations? How would you ensure complementarity between those models and the multilateral collective security system, ensuring doctrinal coherence, clear mandates, and accountability when it comes to international humanitarian law? Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Dominican Republic. Please, you have the floor.

Thank you for the questions. On peacekeeping or how we do peace operations, I know that there's a report with several models that are being proposed and that this would be something that member states would have to consider. The idea is that we are all aware that the nature of conflicts has changed and that we need different types of models for different situations. The challenge, of course, is to make sure the high standards of the UN in any of those models. Like I mentioned before, I see Resolution 2719 and that partnership for AU-led operations, and I also see the GSF in Haiti as two experiments in this regard, and how successful they are I think would be important for member states' consideration as we go forward in how we do peace. But whatever we do, and this— as Secretary-General, I think this is important, and I've included this in my vision statement— is that whether we're doing a traditional peacekeeping operation, a certain type of peace enforcement operation. It must be a means to an end, a means to a political solution, giving the space for a political solution to move forward. So they must be accompanied— peace operations must be accompanied by a pathway for political solutions. And as Secretary-General, it would be important for me to provide that information to the Security Council, and what are some of the possible political solutions that could be pursued. I thank you.

I thank you. I now give the floor to our last civil society organization in this interactive dialogue, the Women's Refugee Commission. Please, you have the floor.

On behalf of the Women's Refugee Commission, we welcome this opportunity for dialogue. This year we mark the 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention and the 65th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Last year we marked 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Yet in 2026, we're seeing millions of people impacted by rising displacement, restricted asylum space, statelessness, and discriminatory nationality laws, and a stagnation or regression on gender equality. A number of states are leading concerted efforts to attack and undermine international norms and UN conventions on women's rights and refugee rights. At the same time, statelessness rooted in discrimination remains woefully under-addressed. Your Excellency, how have you defended and advanced gender equality, refugee rights, and the right to nationality, and how would you rebuild political consensus and advance political action on these fronts? Thank you.

Thank you.

I thank the representative of the Women's Refugee Commission. Please.

I thank the representative for the question. The question on how to advance gender equality, I think that the Secretary-General must not only speak gender equality but must do gender equality. And I know that a lot of work has happened already in the senior-level management of the organization in terms of gender parity, and as Secretary-General, I would work to ensure that that also goes through the other layers of the organization to ensure that we have gender equality. But this is also an action for member states as well, and so working with member states, I think that we can continue to promote the issue of gender equality. Political action, I think the information that we provide to member states on what we are doing as the Secretariat would be important for countries to pursue political action. I believe sometimes the UN is the standard setter in certain respects and then it helps member states and in other cases we have good examples from member states that we could also use here. In the UN, but I recognize the various conventions that you mentioned and that there's still a far way to go in implementation.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ecuador, followed by Equatorial Guinea and Liechtenstein.

Thank you, Madam President, and I'd like to thank Ambassador Caroline Rodriguez-Burkett for participating in these dialogues and presenting her vision of a possible mandate and also for the clarity of her responses which shows she knows a lot about all of these files. With regard to transnational organized crime, we're seeing this expand. It's one of the greatest and most complex challenges today for many countries. Its effects go beyond security and affect development, weaken democratic institutions, and can lead to levels of violence that are similar to active conflicts. And so, in the view of my delegation, this is a matter directly linked to the peace and security of our peoples. Ambassador Rodríguez, given your prevention focus and early warning and early responses of the UN, how would you promote greater focus of the UN to transnational organized crime issues and what mechanism would you promote to strengthen coordination between the various components of the UN system and regional organizations in the light of this phenomenon? And as a personal note, I appreciate, Carolyn, your standing, and I wish you every success in this challenge that you're facing, and I'm sure that with your abilities, which are fully recognized, you will be very successful. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Ecuador. Please, Your Excellency.

I thank Ambassador of Ecuador for his questions and for his kind words. On this issue of transnational organized crime, you're absolutely correct. This is part of the changing nature of the landscape which we operate in, and sometimes it appears as if those involved in transnational organized crime are ahead of those who are in enforcement, including in our member states. So collaboration and cooperation is extremely important. The work of the UNODC transparency is extremely important in this respect as well. And so the provision of information and sharing of information, I know that this is not— it could be a touchy subject in some areas, but as Secretary-General, it would be my role to also bring to the attention of member states the changing nature of what we see on the landscape out there, given the depth of information that the UN has from the various agencies. In terms of strengthening this component, I think that this is— in my time on the Security Council, I've seen, especially from colleagues in Africa, also speaking about this, and so the role of regional organizations where they exist would be extremely important. They're closer closer to the issues and sometimes are more equipped with the solutions that we may want to pursue. And so collaboration between the UN and various regional organizations, it's very important, and I would certainly promote that as Secretary-General.

I thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Equatorial Guinea, followed by Liechtenstein and Cuba.

Ambassador Rodrigues, allow me at the outset to congratulate you sincerely on being designated by the President of the Republic of Guyana as a candidate to the post of Secretary-General. I'd also like to express to you our great appreciation— in hearing your vision that was so clearly expounded. And I've got 3 questions, Ambassador. In UNAT, a lot of people are questioning whether the UN continues to be commensurate with the challenges upcoming. What would be the structural challenges that would define your mandate as Secretary-General in order to bring the UN together? And the second question is that the UN is facing a credibility crisis given the various complicated crises that are taking place at the moment. What would Your Excellency do any different to what is currently being done by the UN to ensure that UN80 is not just ceremonial, as it were, but a real inflection point? And then a third question. With geopolitical groupings ever more rigid, how would you ensure that UN80 doesn't create paralysis but, on the contrary, brings unity? Thank you.

Thank you. Please, Your Excellency.

Thank you for the questions, Ambassador. How to ensure UN aid is commensurate with the challenges that we face in addressing them? I think, like I mentioned before, the work that is ongoing, and I know that that work still has a far way to go in terms of the Workstream 3 on the structural and programmatic alignment, and that it is not yet clear in how that will move forward, but I know that there are discussions already ongoing on this. But this, I see, will be— will change the UN. It will be a change for the UN, but I believe that with the knowledge and the expertise peace of member states, that it would be for a better UN, a fitter UN, and perhaps a slimmer UN. We have many organizations, regional organizations that were not in existence when the UN was formed, and so recognizing the strengths of those organizations and how we partner with them would also be important as we move forward in this new UN. On the credibility crisis, I am not under any illusion of the geopolitical challenges that we face, but as I mentioned before, I think that the Secretary-General has to be proactive and to work with everyone to see where there are opportunities to move forward in bringing peace, of course, of development— I spoke a lot about that— But UN 80, I don't think it's going to be just ceremonial. I think we have to put in the work. Now, it's difficult work as member states, but as the Secretary-General, I think it's my role to give all the support to member states to provide all the objective information that they need so that we can make this UN better. It's very good, but we can make it better.

Thank you. Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Liechtenstein, followed by Cuba and the Maldives.

Thank you, President, and thank you, Carolyn, for the conversation with us this morning. It's great to see you on the podium. I have two questions. The first is, I mean, we do believe that the power of the SG essentially rests in the ability to leverage the legitimacy that the Charter of the UN gives the position. But of course there is one article that gives a particular authority to the SG, and that is Article 99. So I'm interested in your thoughts on how you think the SG can best leverage Article 99 and whether you see formats— that are short of the formal invocation of Article 99, but also under what circumstances you, if chosen to be SG, would invoke Article 99, as Secretary-General Guterres has done one time during his tenure so far. My second question is, you've talked clearly about the duty of the SG to call out violations of the Charter, a statement we were very pleased to hear. How do you look at other violations, let's say violations of key bodies of international law such as the Genocide Convention, the law regulating crimes against humanity, and how do you see the division of work in this respect between the office you have put yourself forward for, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Liechtenstein. Please, Your Excellency.

I thank Ambassador for the questions. On Article 99, I think it would be important before invoking that article to have all the information of what is happening on the ground. Whether this is going to cause a severe humanitarian crisis in terms of what is happening on the ground, whether there have been severe violations, humanitarian and otherwise, on the ground. But also, I think it would be important for the new Secretary-General to speak to the parties. This would be extremely important before making a decision on invoking Article 99. So I know that this is an article that has not been used very much and that when it has been used, it's when it was a really challenging situation. But this is how I would approach it in terms of making sure I engage with the parties, making sure I know exactly what is happening on the ground in terms of violations and in terms of protection of civilians. Because if civilians are going to suffer immensely, I think it's important enough to bring that to the attention of the Security Council under Article 99. But let me say that in addition to Article 99, I think that there are means and ways of this for how the Secretary-General can— can be more in touch with the Security Council as well. We— having served on the Security Council just recently,— we have frequent consultations and I think in those consultations room, the Secretary-General can be present there as well. And so I will certainly make use of every avenue in that respect. On the issue of the Secretary-General and the Commissioner of Human Rights, I look forward to working very closely with all the heads of agencies, funds and programmes, and I think that I hope we will do a good job.

Thank you. We have 4 more speakers on the list, and perfect in time, so I would like to invite as the final speakers the distinguished representative of Cuba, the Maldives, Slovenia, and finally the observer of the League of the Arab States. Please, Cuba, do you have the Thank you, Madam President.

Dear Ambassador Carolyn, and personal congratulations on your designation. We are very happy to have these interactive dialogues as part of an effort to ensure that the selection process of the Secretary-General is open, transparent, and inclusive. We align ourselves with the statement delivered by the G77 and AOSA [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] and we'd like to put the following questions in our national capacity. What structural concrete reforms would you defend to transform the international financial system into something that's more just and representative that effectively responds to the needs and priorities of developing countries, including access to financing, debt alleviation, and a better voice and participation in decision-making? How do you see the role of the UN in that process? And the second question, given the growing escalation of conflicts and the proliferation of warlike rhetoric, what action would you take in the— as Secretary General to promote a culture of peace and the peaceful settlement of disputes and respect for the principle of non-use of force? I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Cuba. Please, Your Excellency, you have the floor.

I thank Ambassador of Cuba for the questions and to add to what I've said on reforms of the IFIs, I recall when my country was a heavily indebted country and some of us who were in that situation, some of our countries, we came together and we would advocate throughout the world for debt relief because in 1992 my country was paying 94 cents of every dollar in debt. There was no way you were going to come out of that without debt relief. And I recall when the UN started to speak up on this, that those who were concerned listened, and there was a change, and we were able to have debt relief. And so Guyana today is much better off than in that— during that time. And so I believe in the voice, the collective the voice of the UN. And so how we deal with the IFIs, I think the collective voice of the UN, plus the instruments that we are developing— we have the MVI, the Beyond GDP— this, I think, would also help us to, as we continue this engagement, to have the IFIs perhaps listen to us and we see it does not have to be major steps happening at one time, but it could be incremental.— all being geared to make sure that those who really need financing and who faces a very unfair situation now in terms of borrowing, for example, that this is changed. And as Secretary-General, I would continue to not just advocate on this, but to be at the forefront with Member States on this. On conflict resolution, all the tools that are available to me as Secretary-General, the good offices, I think that this is something we can use We can use more. My own country benefits from the good offices process of the UN, and as I said earlier, we do not put a cost to prevention, but these are some of the tools that, at the disposal of the Secretary-General, I intend to be proactive in putting at the disposal of member states. I thank you.

I thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Maldives, followed by Slovenia.

Thank you, Madam President and Ambassador Caroline. I have two questions. First, you emphasized continued support for climate commitments and also stressed that the resident coordination system has improved delivery at country level. How would you ensure that the Abbas is systematically reflected in the work of resident coordinators and UN country teams? Second, you also note a shift in the global risk landscape and the need for anticipatory decision-making, regional engagements, and timely UN action. As you would know, Sid's security concerns often arise less from conventional conflicts than from climate disruption, maritime vulnerability, food insecurity, transitional crime, and economic shocks. How would you ensure ensure that the broader understanding of security is reflected in the UN's work. Thank you.

Thank you. Please,

yes, first of all.

Thank you very much to Maldives for the questions. I spoke about the ABAS earlier, and certainly this is the blueprint for SIDS, and whatever we do as the UN and whatever we advocate for would be through the lens of the Abbas, and this includes the UN country teams, the Resident Coordinator System, of course. In terms of the global risk landscape and the— I get from what you're saying the connection or the link between climate and security. This is a discussion that I know is ongoing. During time again on the Security Council, members of the council were able to deal with this on a case-by-case basis in different situations. As you know, they deal with particular files, but I thought that that was a good movement by the Security Council in looking at the impacts of climate change and how that is a driver of conflict. And so those things would have to be built on, and as Secretary-General, of course, whatever is decided by the Security Council, by the General Assembly in this respect, we will certainly implement. But I think that we all are agreed that even though climate change may— for some, you don't see it as you would see it in a conflict, as I mentioned before, the effects— that it is causing serious challenges in different parts of of the world, where pastoralists, for example, have to move. Land is becoming scarce, and that creates a security challenge. So the impacts of climate change is widespread, and as your Secretary General, I would certainly be speaking on this. I know the current Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, has been a voice, a loud voice on this, and I intend to do the same.

Thank you.

I thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Slovenia, followed as the final speaker for today, the observer of the League of the Arab States.

Thank you, Mr. President, and dear Caroline, congratulations and thank you very much for coming forward. All of us who have been working with you closely have really high respect for you. Respect for you as a diplomat, as a politician, as negotiator, consensus builder, but most of all, I think, as human being. And also today's discussion, I think, what came out very clearly, and I think we appreciate, is your passion— passion for the UN, your trust in the UN, and your commitment to the UN. And I think these are the qualities that we are looking for in the new Secretary-General, so thank you very much for giving us an option. I have to ask a question. You also are Administrator, and there hasn't been a lot of discussion today about financial situation. The budget of the UN depends— half of it comes— almost half of it comes from two member states, which probably, or is becoming more and more clear, that it's not sustainable. Especially if dues are not paid or are paid late. This is the issue for member states, of course, but you are affected as Secretary-General because you have to run the organization if you don't have money, and as I understand, around 50 countries are not paying. So I'm just wondering whether you had any reflections on how you're going to address, first, if the countries— when the countries are not paying,, or maybe to look for a different financial architecture for the financing of the UN? Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Slovenia. Your Excellency, you have the floor.

Thank you to Ambassador of Slovenia. I've thought about this, Ambassador, and how to approach this as Secretary-General, because it's There are a number of complexities in this, but the bottom line is that we need to have the payments come in and to be engaged with member states, all member states, too, that are in the situation of having not paid and how we can work out a payment plan. But you're absolutely correct in terms of where the bulk of the money comes in, but as Secretary-General, I'm prepared to engage with everyone on this. I think that the formula that the UN has decided for payment, it's weighted equally for all of us, and so it's an obligation as well for member states to pay. And so this would be my approach in terms of engaging. There are also issues of when the money comes in, and sometimes you're not able to utilize it, and then it has to be returned., and so we have to deal with these issues, but this is going to be a really big focus because you can't do a whole lot without money. And so, yes, that's how I would approach that. Perhaps working out payment plans as well. I know some countries have had to do that, understanding the constraints. This is in addition to the larger countries, but the constraints that member states face. But thank you for raising that important issue.

Thank you. As mentioned, we have come to the end of this interactive dialogue, as we have no more speakers on the list. So as a final— as the final speaker, I will give the floor to the Observer of the League of the Arab States, also an opportunity to sum up for today. Please, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President, and thank you for convening this meeting, and thank you to Ambassador Caroline Rodriguez Beckett for presenting your candidature and for the brilliant presentation you made today. I will join the last speaker to say that, as always, focused, cool, confident, and action-oriented, and wishing you all the best of luck. The question that I want to pose is how would you SG benefit from and support the work done at the regional level on two counts. One count on the implementation of plans. We have Agenda 2063 for the African Union. We have the Arab Vision 2044-2045, and we have many other regional plans. And we have the Agenda 2030 in the UN, how best to combine the interests, the regional interests with the international interests in the implementation of those plans. The second part of it is related to how best to use the regional capacities in support of the United Nations in peace and security. What happened lately in the Gulf, what happened in Gaza, what happened, we see here a divide between the regional organizations and the United Nations, and sometimes between the United Nations and its member states working outside to try to settle the situations. How would you engage us in the regional organizations and help us help you? Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Observer of the League of Arab States. Please, Your Excellency, you have the floor.

Thank you, Ambassador, for the questions. As I mentioned before, when the UN was formed, we did not have the regional organizations and several other organizations, and we need to maximize our partnership as the UN with these organizations. The way I see Agenda 2063,, and also the Arab Vision 2044, they're connected to the Sustainable Development Agenda but go more into detail as to what these regions would like to see. And so I think the UN's work must be consistent with the agendas of the various regions and how we complement each other. We might be able to learn something that you are doing that might even be applicable elsewhere. —and similarly, I would say, from the UN, the support that we provide, given the vast experience that the UN has from other situations, I think could also be very, very helpful. And together we can build our combined capacities. Madam President, since this is the last time I would speak in the dialogue, let me just thank everyone for the questions. If you notice, I have approached the answers in very practical terms. I think that a lot of you know me here, so I did not have to go into detail of what I know and what I didn't know, but to approach the questions and to approach what's before us in a realistic way, in a practical way. And now that I have done that, I— what is just left for me to do is to ask you Thank you for your support to me for the next Secretary-General. Thank you.

With this, we have come to the end of this interactive dialogue. Before thanking you, Your Excellency, I would like to use the opportunity to thank the the many teams who worked hard in the last days to make the Interactive Dialogues of this week on short notice possible. Your individual contributions were seen and deeply appreciated by all member states. And I think this is also worth a round of applause to the whole team behind it. [APPLAUSE] And I would like to thank you, Ms. Rüdiger-Birkett, and all the participants, all the member states for your valuable contribution. The meeting is adjourned. I wish you all a good day. Thank you.