The Triage Game: Own, Delegate, or Drop

I'm joined now by Mark Melk-Brown to talk through everything we just heard.

Mark was Kofi Annan's Deputy Secretary General, and he's been my co-host for World's Toughest Job this entire time.

I'm so happy to see you again, Mark.

Me too, Jasmine.

All right.

So we spent the first eight episodes of this podcast avoiding talking about the race for Secretary General.

But now, now that we are past UNGA, the UN General Assembly, can you maybe help me? Can you compare the mood of this election cycle to the others that you've witnessed?

Yeah, it's had a strange kind of ghost quality to it.

And the candidates are showing extreme caution about what they say.

And it seems as though they think the only two safe things to talk about are UN reform or reductions, therefore, in UN costs.

And secondly, peace and security, where everybody, including those so-called P3, the US, China, and Russia, you know, agree with the rest of the membership that there's got to be much greater activism on the peace and security agenda.

But what's missing is that wider manifesto, that desire to campaign on the world's behalf on climate or on AI or other issues of that kind.

So, as I say, it's been a strangely subdued race.

You know, the question is what happens next.

The other expectation, is that more candidates might come in, either a candidate who's been sort of selected in a back room by that P3 of the US, Russia, China, or other candidates who think are so frustrated at the sort of quietness of the race, that they want to bring that more urgent, bigger agenda.

And I think the debates in this UN General Assembly about AI and its risk to world peace and risk to the world are probably energizing a few people in the back corridors in this case to possibly throw their hats into the ring, because there is a feeling that the debate simply hasn't lived up to the urgency and importance of the moment so far.

And Mark, for this podcast, you spoke to Mia Motley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, about her call for pause and reset.

Do you think member states are listening to that call?

I think, you know, Mia Motley is one of the sort of wisest voices and is recognized as such.

She's seen as a huge leader on the international scene, even if she's from a very small country, Barbados.

And that's part of the genius of the UN, which is, It doesn't matter so much the size of your country.

It's what you have to say that counts.

You know, her ability to sort of develop a narrative which cuts across themes and offers a very positive vision of the role of the UN is the kind of voice which I think people regret has been missing so far in the debate around the next secretary general.

And as you know, Mark, we asked Comfort Arrow and Thaunt Mint Oo what the next Secretary General should own, delegate and drop.

I'd love to know, what do you make of their suggestions?