A document with candidate responses received so far to all 10 questions is available at the bottom of this web page.
Question 1
Ilya Bañares –
Philippines / China – Student
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWNevU_-S44&w=500&]
Do you believe that the Secretary-General should be limited in his or her powers, by only implementing the will of the Member States of the United Nations, rather than acting independently, in pursuit of the common good?
Candidate responses
Question 2
Arco Iris de Sordos – Colombia – Deaf Rainbow Group
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-TDpB8WqUI&w=500&]
Let me introduce myself, I’m Johan, This is my sign. Welcome. We are the Bogota Deaf Rainbow Group. What will the United Nations do to guarantee the rights of LGBTI people around the world?
Candidate responses
Question 3
Rahul Kumar – India – Green Dreamers
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AswpuiyZnbI&w=500&]
How would you anticipate and what measures would you take to maintain International Peace by solving international conflicts even before they start and become a crisis? Next UNSG must anticipate and analyse problems before it turns into a crisis like in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere. It truly hurts.
Candidate responses
Question 4
Harriet Ngendanabo – Uganda – Sightsavers
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E44AiahgGUY&w=500&]
People with disabilities have been left out of development discussions for too long – how will you change this?
Candidate responses
Question 5
Jane Alver – Australia – WYCA Australia& Center for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at University of Canberra
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBLXnjJ_C1o&w=500&]
How will you ensure the crucial involvement of civil society is valued and not further eroded?
Candidate responses
Question 6
Archie Lappin, Thanapum Poolsem & Jemima Lappin – Thailand
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqBk-BH__vY&w=500&]
Even though governments committed to keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees, we are on track to a world 3 degrees hotter. After Paris more oil and coal mining went ahead. What would you do to make sure countries take action to stop catastrophic climate change?
Candidate response
Question 7
Leonardo Buzzi – Brazil – class project led by teacher Cleiton Baldo: Colégio Dom Bosco, Rio do Sul, Santa Catarina
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzQXOV2rBQs&w=500&]
Considering the global inequalities, where people live in extreme poverty and 1% of the richest population owns 40% of Earth resources, what would you do to balance those inequalities, considering that 3 of the 5 permanent members of the Security Council are the biggest world economies?
Candidate responses
Question 8
Tracey Whare – New Zealand – Aotearoa Indigenous Rights Trust & Mãori Law Society
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QwqFrwwbtY&w=500&]
What measures will you undertake to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples within the UN system at both the international as well as the regional levels, and how will you encourage member states to implement the Declaration at the country level in ways that are meaningful to Indigenous Peoples?
Candidate response
Question 9
Cosette Maiky – Lebanon – Lebanese American University
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80MEGqWM_Uw&w=500&]
How would you address institutional corruption and bad management practices, and misuse of resources among UN agencies especially in humanitarian settings?
Candidate responses
Question 10
Malick Lingani – Burkina Faso – BEOG NEERE (A better future)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_yPw4icKvg&w=500&]
How will you ensure that youth are in the core of combating hate speech and youth radicalization? What do think is the most urgent thing to do to recover peace the “Vivre ensemble (Live together)”?
Candidate responses
SG Candidates Responses to all 10 Civil Society Questions
Civil society has been invited to contribute questions via social media using the hashtag #UNSGcandidates, or to submit them via an online form, in a process facilitated by the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS). UN-NGLS facilitates a gender and regionally balanced civil society Committee (convened through an open application process) to review all questions submitted and create a short-list for the Office of the President of the General Assembly to consider. From that short-list, each candidate for UN Secretary-General has been asked 2-3 unique questions during the UN General Assembly dialogues with them. The 10 questions posted above include some of those questions used in the dialogues, as well as others highly ranked on the civil society short-list. Since the process opened on 26 February 2016, more than 1500 questions have been submitted from 70+ countries. All questions are published online as they are received. To view all questions received, and learn more about the process, please visit http://unngls.org/UNSGcandidates.