Grossi: the view that the UN is ineffective in crises is widespread

Rafael Grossi said there is a widespread belief that the UN is ineffective in solving international crises.

The process of selecting the head of the UN is characterized by a high level of international tension, wars and doubts about the organization's ability to effectively respond to what is happening.

Grossi believes that the IAEA's experience shows the ability of international organizations to achieve results even in complex issues.

UN, October 3 – RIA Novosti. The opinion that the UN is not coping with current international crises and is not sufficiently involved in resolving them is widespread in the world, IAEA Director General and candidate for the post of Secretary General of the organization Rafael Grossi said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“There is a widespread belief that the UN is not coping with these challenges, that the UN – its Secretariat and the Secretary General – are lacking in solving many of the current problems,” Grossi said.

According to him, the current process of selecting the head of the organization differs from previous ones by the high level of international tension, wars and doubts about the ability of the UN to effectively respond to what is happening.

Grossi believes that the experience of the IAEA he heads shows that international organizations are capable of achieving practical results even when dealing with complex issues.

“Yes, we have a narrower scope of activity: non-proliferation, nuclear weapons issues, nuclear materials, energy. But this experience can be applied here in New York, where the range of tasks is wider and the problems are much greater,” he said.

Members of the UN Security Council conduct a preliminary vote to select a candidate for the post of secretary general and recommend him to the UN General Assembly, which, according to the international organization's charter, officially appoints the secretary general. Voting in the Security Council is secret.

The candidates to become the next UN Secretary-General are Carolyn Rodriguez-Birkett of Guyana, Rebekah Greenspan of Costa Rica, Grossi of Argentina, Maria Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador, Macky Sall of Senegal, Olara Otunnu of Uganda and Yvonne Baqui of Ecuador.