By Mary Lyn Fonua

The new Secretary General for the United Nations in 2017 has to be able to help the UN step up to the challenges, and women have to be part of the solutions, says the UNDP head, Helen Clark who left Tonga today at the end of a Pacific islands visit.

“Clearly on peace and security the UN is not seen to be doing so well and that needs a lot of attention…So often we see peace negotiations with no women at the top table and we just have to do better,” says Ms Clark.

The former New Zealand Prime Minister and current UNDP Administrator was nominated by New Zealand in April as a candidate for the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, to succeed Ban Ki-moon, whose term will conclude at the end of the year.

“The reason I am running is because I like a challenge, and this is the ultimate set of challenges,” she told Matangi Tonga Online, when asked how she perceived the role of UN Secretary General going forward.

 “Because the world is beset by a lot of huge issues, the continuing extreme poverty of close to 900 million people, growing inequalities, very significant environment issues as the Pacific knows so well, with climate change and environmental degradation - and I spent yesterday afternoon looking at some of the UNDP global environment facility and Government of Tonga initiatives on the environment.”

“Then, of course, these dreadful conflicts and so the new Secretary General has to be able to help the UN to step up to these challenges; on some it’s doing better than others,” she says, pointing out that peace and security need more attention.

First woman

The challenges that will continue to face the UN Secretary General are not new to Ms Clark (66), head of the United Nations Development Programme since 2009 and the first woman to lead the programme.

“The last seven years, as I guess really all my life, I’ve been working on issues of equality of opportunity, anti-poverty and health issues, and these will continue to be issues that I will champion all my life, along with gender equality, and environment.”

Ms Clark, a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, a network of current and former women prime ministers and presidents, believes that a woman Secretary General will be able to make impact on wars affecting women. She is one of seven women who are official candidates for the position of UNSG.

“Women and children are always the worst affected by conflict and it is very distressing the level of sexual and gender based violence in conflicts,” she says, very seriously.

“Yesterday (June 19) was the first International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, noting the horrors that women and children are subjected to – so, definitely, I can make a difference in that area.”

Ms Clark says there are strong Security Council resolutions on the role of women as peace-makers, building peace, sustaining peace, “but so often we see peace negotiations with no women at the top table and we just have to do better, women have to be part of the solutions, and I think by nature are more likely to be peace builders in any case.”

Women will remain high on the global development agenda even as climate change issues grow, she says.

“Yes, fortunately, the international partners remain extremely interested in gender equality and women’s empowerment, so I think this is not only going to continue to be an extremely important issue but I think it will be supported.”

Regional support

Ms Clark was in Tonga to give the keynote address at the Inaugural Pacific Summit on Non-communicable Diseases.

Her candidacy for UNSG was supported by the Pacific Community Director General Dr Colin Tukuitonga in Nuku’alofa today.

“Ms Clark offers the Pacific the best chances for hearing our voices at global level. The issues of NCDs and climate change are global issues that impact on us. We can’t just deal with it in our region we need allies and supporters like Ms Clark and wish her well - unite in a Pacific voice in supporting Ms Clark,” he said.

Related articles:

Pacific on global frontline fighting Non-Communicable Diseases [2]

Helen Clark visits Tonga projects before addressing NCD summit [3]