Akanksha campaigns for reformed and inclusive UN

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“What’s at stake is much bigger than my campaign. It’s about my generation getting participation rights in the decision-making process and not just visitation rights. – Arora Akanksha

Arora Akanksha is a candidate challenging the Secretary-General António Guterres. She is campaigning for a new, reformed and inclusive UN. Volkan Bozkır has scheduled an early hearing for the Secretary-General selection on May 7th 2021, months before the official selection in October.

Discussion and debate on who will serve as the next Secretary-General will therefore be held with just one candidate, the incumbent. Akanksha says, “This makes a mockery of democracy. And I am surprised that the world’s largest and oldest democracies – India and the USA are both not alarmed by this total failure?”

Akanksha ‘that one woman’

The UN preaches gender equality, but has never had a female Secretary General in its 76-year history. To this Akanksha says, “In 2016, Secretary General elections, there were seven female candidates out of a pool of 13 candidates. All those women had similar experiences and age as the incumbent; yet a male was chosen for the job. So, this year, I have presented myself as a candidate, who is less than half the age of the incumbent has different but relevant experiences, and again they have a problem. Not sure who is that ‘one woman’ who can satisfy every criteria in men’s wishlist.“

Women’s equality and youth inclusiveness

Akanksha talks about the status of her application, “I have reached out to all 193 member states. I have met with five countries so far. Countries are fearful of nominating me because of retaliation from members of the Security Council and the European Union… No one from the Global North who promotes women’s equality and youth inclusiveness have even acknowledged the receipt of my email. It reduces rhetoric for women’s empowerment and youth inclusiveness to outright hypocrisy. What’s at stake is much bigger than my campaign. It’s about my generation getting participation rights in the decision-making process and not just visitation rights.”

Vision statement released

On April 30th, Akanksha’s campaign released her vision statement for a new UN. She comments, “200 policy experts volunteered to be part of this momentous effort. This document should be evaluated on its own merit and ideas without any bias or prejudice and discrimination towards my age, experiences or gender. This document demonstrates why it is time for change, why I am competent to deliver that, and my vision for a new UN.”

As a next step, Akanksha says, “UN should follow through its own resolution 69/321 and I should be allowed to present my candidacy and be part of the official hearing and selection process.“

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