Indian-origin Arora Akanksha announces candidacy for United Nations chief

An Indianorigin employee at the UN has announced her candidacy to be its next SecretaryGeneral the first person to throw her hat in the ring against incumbent Antonio Guterres who is seeking a second fiveyear term beginning January 2022 as chief of the world organisationArora Akanksha 34 working as an audit coordinator for the United Nations Development Programme UNDP said she will run for the post of the worlds top diplomat and launched her campaign AroraForSG this monthPeople in my position arent supposed to stand up to the ones in charge We are supposed to wait our turn hop on the hamster wheel go to work keep our heads down and accept that the world is the way it is Akanksha said in a twoandahalf minute campaign video posted onlineThe video shows Akanksha walking inside the sprawling UN headquarters as her voiceover says that people who have come before her have failed to hold the UN accountableFor 75 years the UN has not fulfilled its promise to the world refugees havent been protected humanitarian aid has been minimal and technology and innovation has been on the backburner We deserve a UN that leads progress she saysThat is why I am running for the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations I refuse to be a bystander I will not accept this is the best the UN can do she says in the videoThank you for your support Please go on httpstcoGb2t2vrh3L and vote for a UNThatWorks We the people are more powerful than any system pictwittercomnVzS6hYHuomdash Arora Akanksha arora4people February 12 2021Last month Antonio Guterres 71 had confirmed that he will seek a second fiveyear term as chief of the world organisationGuterress first term ends on December 31 this year and the term of the next SecretaryGeneral will begin on January 1 2022Guterres assumed office on January 1 2017 after a reformed selection process that included a public informal dialogue session in the UN General AssemblyAntonio Guterres is the 9th SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations and no woman has held the position of the worlds top diplomat in the 75year history of the United NationsThe SecretaryGeneral is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council making the SecretaryGenerals selection subject to the veto of any of the five permanent members of the CouncilStephane Dujarric Spokesman for the SecretaryGeneral responding to a question at the daily briefing on the UNDP staffer announcing her candidacy for SecretaryGeneral said Antonio Guterres is a candidate for the selection process Its not for him to comment on other people who may want to come forwardThis is a process run by Member States So Im not aware of any issues or problems with that I speak for the incumbent candidate but we have no comment on anyone else who may wish to put their hat in the proverbial ring Dujarric saidThe spokesperson for UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir Brenden Varma was asked at the press briefing whether Arora Akanksha had written to the President on her candidacyVarma said the Presidents office had not received any formal communications on this matterVarma had earlier said that so far the General Assembly President had not received any notifications of candidacies for the position of SecretaryGeneral from Member StatesHe added that candidates have traditionally been presented by Member StatesIn the video Akanksha adds that it is time that the UN stop serving politicians and start serving peopleIt is time for a new United Nation a UN that is a guardian for refugees takes humanitarian crises through to completion and gets technology and education in the hands of all she saysShe also says that these ideas are not impossible and dont need another 75 years to accomplishIt takes someone being bold being a first first to speak up first to take action first to make a difference and now first to challenge the UN Im no longer waiting for the torch to be passed down Im taking it because I am part of the generation of change where we dont just talk about change we cause change she saysShe also thanked supporters on Twitter and urged them to voteAccording to her profile on her website UNOWorg Arora Akanksha graduated from York University Toronto with a Bachelor of Administrative StudiesShe received her Master in Public Administration from Columbia UniversityHer profile states that she was recruited at the UN to help with the financial reforms of the organisation and her work included updating financial regulations and rules of the UN and managing the internal and external audits at UNDPA report in news site PassBlue said Indiaborn Arora Akanksha has an Overseas Citizenship of India and a Canadian passportShe hasnt asked either country for an official endorsement She is nevertheless hopeful that her candidacy could shake up the selection process the report saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever