Costa Rican economist Rebeca Grynspan, a leading candidate to become the next United Nations secretary general, declared that the UN must adopt a more risk-tolerant approach and not be solely guided by bureaucratic procedures. She made these remarks during a hustings event at the think tank Chatham House on Friday.
Challenges Facing the UN
Ms Grynspan's comments come at a time when the UN is confronted with a daunting array of crises. These include a severe funding shortfall that is crippling humanitarian and development efforts, political gridlock within the Security Council, and growing cynicism regarding its capacity to fulfill a peacekeeping role amid escalating conflicts worldwide.
Risk Aversion and Moral Leadership
When asked how she would respond as secretary general to scenarios such as an armed intervention in Venezuela or an attack on Iran, Ms Grynspan acknowledged that the UN has become excessively risk-averse. She agreed that it is crucial for the secretary general to speak out. "The Secretary General is the moral anchor of the principles of the [UN] charter," she stated. "The UN has become too risk averse… [Sometimes] we have to take risk, not crazy risk, but calculated risk." She further argued that conflict mediation and preventive diplomacy cannot be conducted within a pyramidal, bureaucratic structure and called for more strident moral leadership at the helm of the global body. "Bureaucracies are very risk-averse by nature, and you cannot have a good idea or take risk," she added.
Grynspan's Background and Frontrunner Status
A native of Costa Rica, Ms Grynspan rose to prominence as Secretary General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). She drew widespread praise for her role in negotiating a deal between warring parties to ensure the continued export of grain from Ukraine following Putin's invasion, thereby averting a global food crisis. According to several sources familiar with the matter, she is now viewed by many as the frontrunner to replace current Secretary General Antonio Guterres. If selected, she would become both the first woman and the first Jewish person to hold the position.
Security Council Reform and Financial Crisis
Speaking on Friday, Ms Grynspan also called for an expansion of the UN Security Council's membership, highlighting that there is currently no permanent member from Africa or Latin America. "I have no doubt that the Security Council will carry more weight if it represents the world of today and not the world of 1945," she said. She also suggested that the UN's current financial crisis is linked to a political crisis and emphasized the importance of "bring[ing] back those that are skeptical about us," such as the United States, which last year reduced its aid to the UN by 87 percent.
Renewing the UN's Authority
Amid a wide array of global challenges and growing skepticism about the UN's ability to address them, Ms Grynspan expressed confidence in the organization's capacity to renew its authority worldwide. "The UN was built at a moment where there was also mistrust… but there was the belief and the hope that a better world was possible, that the use of uncontested and unrestrained power did not bring a better world, but destruction," she reflected. "I think that we have to recover that sense again… But I am not defending the UN as it is. I think that the UN has to change."
This article was produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project.
