VIENNA, June 17 — International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi says his extensive experience in diplomacy, including two terms in leading the nuclear watchdog will enable him to spearhead much needed reforms at the United Nations (UN).
Grossi, a frontrunner for the UN Secretary General post said the organisation is under strain and must restore global confidence in multilateralism and delivering tangible results or risk becoming irrelevant.
“I suppose that once somebody candidates himself or herself for something, it’s because one feels that he or she can do it.
“I’m working hard on that. I think, is because I believe that the United Nations is in a very difficult state,” he told journalists participating in a seminar at the IAEA headquarters, here, recently.
Describing himself as a “convinced multilateralist”, Grossi said his 45 years in diplomacy – mostly in multilateral affairs – and his experience leading the IAEA have demonstrated that international organisations can deliver positive and constructive outcomes even when dealing with some of the world’s most difficult challenges.
He also cited IAEA’s continued efforts to safeguard nuclear installations and prevent nuclear accident during the war in Ukraine as a ‘living proof’ that multilateral organisations and multilateralism can function effectively.
“I think we need multilateralism more than ever. The only difference is that it has to be a multilateralism that works,” he said.
Commenting on the UN, he said the organisation has lost focus by attempting to address too many issues, which has weakened its ability to deliver meaningful outcomes on the ground.
“I think there is a need to go back to realism in the UN, focus on where the organisation can really make a difference. It is clearly a huge task ahead. But we have to do it.
“The risk of the UN becoming completely irrelevant, in my opinion, is very high,” he said.
Grossi added that a UN Secretary General should be a problem solver, advocating dialogue, mediation and discreet diplomacy by engaging all parties through available diplomatic channels to resolve conflicts and build confidence while maintaining impartiality.
“Impartiality is one of the most difficult things that exist. It’s a very lonely place, I can tell you,” he said.
Grossi, 65, is one of the six candidates vying to succeed incumbent Antonio Guterres, whose term ends on Dec 31, 2026.
The other contenders are United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, former Senegalese president Macky Sall, former Ecuadorean foreign minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa and Guyanese diplomat Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.
The selection and appointment of the next UN Secretary General is expected to take place by the end of the year, with the new five-year mandate set to begin on Jan 1, 2027.
