Latvia’s president tells UN why she is qualified to be next Secretary-General

As the General Assembly continued its annual debate today, one of the numerous national leaders taking the podium, President Vaira Vike-Freiberga of Latvia, spoke of her own qualifications to serve as the next United Nations Secretary-General.

Pledging to address “the challenges posed by the UN reform and promoting human rights, freedom and democracy, including gender equality,” she noted that no woman has ever served at the Organization's helm.

She also pointed out that no Secretary-General has ever come from Eastern Europe, which “has a wealth of experience to share about its ability to effect radical changes and achieve progress in a remarkably brief period of time.”

Traditionally, the UN selects its leaders based on a regional rotation. According to the current cycle, Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who completes his decade-long service in the post this year, should be replaced by someone from Asia. But President Vike-Freiberga said “the selection procedure should not restrict the rights and opportunities of potential candidates from any other part of the world.”

The Latvian leader, who had previously formally announced her candidacy for Secretary-General, linked her upbringing to the UN's aims. “Because of my own personal experience as a child of war and a refugee, having known fear, cold, loss and hunger in my time, I urge world leaders to save every child we can from such experiences,” she said “Our common goal is to extend world wide the peace, freedom, and prosperity that so many nations have already achieved.”

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=19913&Cr=general&Cr1=debate

2006-09-21