Statement by the Minister of  Foreign and Worship of Argentina, Susana Malcorra

June 7, 2016

 

• Agradezco a la Asamblea General, bajo el liderazgo del Presidente Lykketoft, y al Consejo de Seguridad por esta oportunidad. Agradezco también la presencia de representantes de la sociedad civil.

• Todos los presentes hoy aquí, compartimos el reconocimiento de que las Naciones Unidas suelen ser el único bastión de esperanza para muchas personas que enfrentan circunstancias difíciles, alrededor del mundo. Estamos unidos colectivamente, en la búsqueda permanente de soluciones a sus necesidades, a fin de estar a la altura de las promesas de la Carta.

• Concibo unas Naciones Unidas cuyo trabajo se centre en la primacía de la gente, del planeta y de la prosperidad compartida; guiadas por temas y enfocadas en generar impactos.

• Debemos hacer que esta Organización – la Secretaría, las Agencias, los Fondos y Programas – trabaje para las personas y el planeta de forma que promueva la mayor prosperidad para todos. Debe estar impulsada por la necesidad de abordar los temas de actualidad, no por arreglos organizacionales.

• Excellencies, an issues-based approach moves us out of the siloes that divide us to the issues that connect us.

• In today’s world, the only way to deliver impact is through listening carefully to people and working in unison with local, regional and international partners. The Secretary-General must inculcate a culture of HUMILITY in the daily work of the Organization in its effort to faithfully implement and support Member States’ decisions and their decision-making processes.

• I want to highlight the need for FORESIGHT. It is not enough for the United Nations to effectively respond to existing crises. It must lead with the FORESIGHT to anticipate and prevent crises on the horizon.

• Our focus on people, the planet and shared prosperity must be premised on the guiding principles of SUSTAINABILITY and building RESILIENCE. Promoting sustainable development, as called for in the 2030 Agenda, reduces vulnerability in the long-term. Building resilience necessitates considering women and youth as an integral part of our solutions. 

• Ensuring reliable financing for development is critical to reduce the vulnerability that incites conflict, generates humanitarian need and imperils human rights. We must think in new ways that profit from south-south cooperation, leveraging triangular support and private sector engagement to foster sustainable and innovative solutions for all.

• The urgency of investing in development as prevention is evident when we consider the global trend of large movements of refugees and migrants. We need a comprehensive approach that considers the demographic pressures, global drivers and structural conditions that underpin this trend, while also promoting greater sharing of responsibility for meeting the needs of refugees and migrants. 

• Our actions must be imbued with respect for the primacy of NATIONAL OWNERSHIP. The Organization must enable collaboration with national and local communities and actors to strengthen their capacities as a first resort in all of its responses. 

• In an era of great interconnectedness, the problems that confront us transcend borders. It is vital that we work to implement a viable and robust strategy for zero tolerance to terrorism together with a reinvigorated focus on disarmament and nonproliferation. The role of climate change and other environmental pressures in igniting humanitarian need and conflict must be considered.

• The Secretary-General must galvanize efforts to end conflict through preventative diplomacy and political dialogue, exercising good offices and leveraging regional partnerships.

• All our efforts must be underpinned by the promotion of human rights. The Organization must spare no effort to use the tools at its disposal to promote human rights in a manner that is holistic, inspirational, up-front and that recognizes the responsibility that is incumbent upon sovereign states. 

• The United Nations can multiply its impact through greater collaboration and inclusivity.  PARTNERSHIP AND INCLUSIVITY call on us to build on commonality where it exists but acknowledge that strength emanates from diversity. We must do more to leverage the influence, political and economic weight, and contextual knowledge of regional actors to promote peace, invest in preparedness and disaster risk reduction, and cultivate prosperity.

• This approach demands a Secretary-General with the COURAGE OF CONVICTION to listen to, heed guidance from, propose solutions to and work together with Member States to find common ground, build confidence and cultivate trust.

• Excellences, allow me to now make some comments on the organization that the Secretary-General leads as its Chief Administrative Officer. It is incumbent upon the Secretary-General to support the stewardship of reform and review processes in close consultation with Member States.  It is also the responsibility of the Secretary-General to foster FLEXIBILITY and NIMBLENESS.

• The key role as Chief Administrative Officer is to provide the managerial oversight to hold the Organization accountable to its membership, to the people around the world it aspires to serve, and to the ideals codified in the Charter.

• ACCOUNTABILITY implies transparency, performance, and due diligence, beginning with senior leadership and cascading throughout the Organization. It requires an organizational culture that is accountable, action-oriented and focused on impact.

• Accountability is demonstrated through the effective and efficient delivery of the mandates entrusted to the Organization. The Secretary-General must provide the visionary leadership and strong management to steer the Organization towards this culture. This yields an Organization that adapts itself to each new challenge and adjusts its response in view of what the solution requires, not what the different parts of the Organization prescribe. With this change in organizational culture, we can achieve the more effective and efficient Organization that Member States envisage. Such an Organization is also fully representative of our world, both in terms of gender and geography. I will strive to achieve these objectives, including gender parity at the top, as a key driver of change.

• Excellences, être responsable de nos actes implique également de créer et promouvoir un environnement qui permet de mettre en confiance les populations affectées par les conflits et de leur fournir l'assistance nécessaire rapidement et de façon proactive afin de réduire leurs souffrances. Pour ce faire, notre organisation doit réussir à prévenir l'exploitation et les abus sexuels avec une volonté politique forgée sur le partenariat entre les États membres et le secrétariat. En cas d'abus, le soutien aux victimes et la poursuite des responsables est la priorité afin de remplir les obligations qui nous incombent.  Je me propose de travailler avec l’Assemblée générale pour produire un Code Éthique auquel devront adhérer tous les États membres qui participent aux opérations de paix. Je proposerai également la nomination d'un Ombudsman au sein de l'Assemblée générale, pour mesurer l'adhésion des États à ce Code.

• Enfin, il est essentiel que le Secrétaire général adopte une approche de travail HOLISTIQUE pour faire tomber les silos qui existent dans l'Organisation, maximiser les économies d'échelle, et promouvoir la coopération interdépartementale.

• Excellencies, I have referred to the principles and intrinsic values that would constitute the fabric of my approach as Secretary-General if selected. I have alluded to HUMILITY and FORESIGHT as core requirements for the United Nations. I have also laid down what I believe to be the fundamental underlying drivers for its work: SUSTAINABILITY, NATIONAL OWNERSHIP and PARTNERSHIP AND INCLUSIVITY. I have identified COURAGE OF CONVICTION as a principal trait of the Secretary-General to deliver what the world expects. Finally, I have highlighted the main factors that should underpin the work of the Organization: FLEXIBILITY AND NIMBLENESS, ACCOUNTABILITY and a HOLISTIC APPROACH.

• While serving this Organization for over a decade in humanitarian, peace and security and management sectors, I have seen the United Nations and its membership work closely together to devise creative solutions to respond to unprecedented challenges: This must become the rule.

• I hope to be able to earn your trust to empower me to lead the Organization to the place we all believe it should be in this XXI century.
• Thank you very much.