Helen Clark has served as Prime Minister of New Zealand and Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. Her support for putting into practice the ideals of the United Nations Charter is the constant in a long and distinguished career. She opened up to the Senegalese press today at Radisson Blu in Dakar about her candidacy. After her press conference the allAfrica Dakar team gave her a brief interview.
Mrs Clark, why would you want to be the next UN Scretary General in a world with so many big challenges?
I think the Secretary General should be someone with proven leadership skills. There are so many problems and challenges out there. And it needs now someone who ca rally people around better ways of dealing with these problems. We need 21st century ways of dealing with peace and security.
What are the core pillars of your program?
Firstly to see a big emphasis on peace and security because without that you don’t get development. But to see development is a big part of the answer to getting peace and security. If people have work, if they have income, if they are included in the society, if they have rights, if they have access to justice, we have happy societies, if we don’t have those things, we have trouble. There is also the big challenges like the climate change, the mega disasters, the droughts, the conflicts, and the terrorism across national borders…, we have to step up this is tragic, it stops people from going ahead. We need comprehensive approaches to these things which are not only security issues but also development issues.
What should the continent expect from you if you are elected?
They should expect a very strong focus on Africa. I have spent these 7 years almost in development issues of Africa. I want to bring that perspective and understanding and the leadership skills I have from years of top positions in my own country and now the UN. Africa will see a lot of me.
