Miroslav Lajcak with PM Robert Fico. (source: TASR)
Miroslav Lajčák will also get 120 minutes to persuade a global audience that he should be the new UN Secretary General. The global peace institution has decided, allegedly under pressure from assorted civic initiatives, to open the candidates’ hearings to the public. The election for the top diplomatic post will thus turn into a closely watched job interview.
Sceptics say that there is ever more talk about transparency where there is ever less trust. A complete sceptic would say the pledge that the post should go to an Eastern European, and even the preference of a female candidate, are hardly the symptoms of opening up, but rather suggest an erosion of influence. We all know it well: Now they can have their turn too. And these voices are the ones that the candidate will have to persuade.
In his speech to the world Lajčák is sure to mention Ján Papánek, a Slovak who stood at the beginnings of the UN. We would like to note here, that after he wrapped up his career at the UN, Papánek devoted himself to helping refugees from then-Czechoslovakia.
We will be watching with tension how Lajčák will deal with the refugee issue. At the UN level, it will also be time to deal with the mantra about solving problems in the countries of origin.
