The Next Secretary-General's Task:Making the U.N. Visible Again

Candidates to lead the U.N. lay out their visions for reform ahead of this year's selection

Reimagining Multilateralism: A Dialogue with U.N. Secretary-General Candidates

❍ The session "Reimagining Multilateralism: A Dialogue with U.N. Secretary-General Candidates," co-hosted by the Jeju Peace Institute (JPI), the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, the United Nations Foundation, and GWL Voices, was held at the Grand Ballroom of the Haevich Hotel at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 25.

❍ Ahead of the selection of the next U.N. Secretary-General in the second half of this year, the candidates took part in the dialogue to share why they are running and their views on U.N. reform and the reimagining of multilateralism.

❍ Moderated by Sharanjit LEYL, Chancellor of Bath Spa University and former BBC senior broadcast journalist, the dialogue brought together five candidates for U.N. Secretary-General: Rebeca GRYNSPAN MAYUFIS, Secretary-General of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD, on leave); Rafael Mariano GROSSI, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Macky SALL, former President of Senegal; Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations; and María Fernanda ESPINOSA, former President of the 73rd U.N. General Assembly and former Foreign Minister of Ecuador. Michelle BACHELET, former President of Chile and former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, joined by video. BAN Ki-moon, Chairman of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future and the eighth U.N. Secretary-General, delivered the opening remarks, and CHO Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, offered congratulatory remarks.

❍ In his opening remarks, BAN Ki-moon said, "When I ran for the position in 2006, no such public stage existed; candidates operated in the shadows of quiet diplomacy, moving from capital to capital without public scrutiny or transparent debate." He called the forum's openness "a genuine privilege — the opportunity to be tested on merit in the clear light of day."

❍ CHO Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said, "The United Nations has become increasingly invisible at precisely the moment the world needs it most," stressing that "making it visible again — demonstrating that the institution remains relevant, capable, and present in the lives of ordinary people — must be the central mission of whoever assumes the office."

❍ Rebeca GRYNSPAN MAYUFIS, Secretary-General of UNCTAD, said, "In 1945, most capacities resided within the U.N.; today, countries, regional organizations, the private sector, and civil society all hold significant capacities — the U.N. is unique, but it is not alone." She added that "partnering with the private sector — not just for resources but to harness knowledge and innovation, particularly on AI and digital governance — is not a threat to independence; failing to do so means losing relevance."

❍ María Fernanda ESPINOSA, former President of the 73rd U.N. General Assembly, said, "No conflict can be ranked above another — every case where civilians suffer demands U.N. action, and my answer is prevention." She added, "I believe the U.N. remains humanity's greatest institutional achievement, and I commit to making it more efficient, service-oriented, and genuinely connected to the people it serves."

❍ Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, said the Secretary-General "must work with all 193 member states, using the U.N.'s platforms collectively to keep crises that the media overlooks on the agenda." She added, "I call for a fundamentally reformed and adapted U.N., and I see the Jeju Forum as a moment to reignite the collective march toward peace and prosperity."

❍ Macky SALL, former President of Senegal, said, "The Secretary-General must deploy the full diplomatic network to prevent conflicts before they erupt — but this is not the Secretary-General's work alone." He stressed that "it requires rebuilding trust within the Security Council, among member states, and between all parties; restoring that trust is the foundation for addressing every other challenge."

❍ Rafael Mariano GROSSI, Director General of the IAEA, said, "Trust will be rebuilt when people see the U.N. actually solving the problems that matter to them — climate, hunger, nuclear risk, poverty." He added that "this is one of the most consequential Secretary-General selections in U.N. history — a moment when the organization itself is being questioned — making the choice of its next leader a defining decision for the world."

❍ Michelle BACHELET, former President of Chile, who joined by video, said, "The kind of multilateralism the world needs is one that prevents crises before they explode, that amplifies the voices of all U.N. member states, and that remains firmly anchored in the principles and values of the U.N. Charter." She added that this "requires a Secretary-General who knows when to facilitate, who can build the room where agreement becomes possible, and who can hold channels open when parties refuse to speak.“

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