UN Secretary-General candidate Natalia Gherman to speak at IPI

Manama : The International Peace Institute (IPI) will stream a Global Leaders Series event on April 15 from 8pm to 9:30pm, featuring UN Secretary-General candidate Natalia Gherman of Moldova.

The latest development comes amid campaigns of candidates to the post of the United Nations’ Secretary-General post that will be vacant by December 31. The Moldovan Government had nominated Gherman as its candidate for UN Secretary-General post in February.

 At the event, she will discuss her vision of the future of global politics and the United Nations. She will also address questions including how she would shape the job of UN Secretary-General and define her priorities in office.

 Gherman has held various senior government positions in Moldova, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, as well as Acting Prime Minister, besides serving as a member of Moldovan Parliament. She has also represented her country as Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the UN Agencies in Vienna and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and as Ambassador to Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Gherman played a leading role in the United Nations Global Dialogue on Institutional Capacities for Sustainable Development and, subsequently, in the adoption of the Chisinau Outcome Statement, which proved to be a valuable contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

She was the Chief Negotiator for the Association Agreement and Free Trade Area with the European Union. She successfully led the EU-Moldova visa dialogue that resulted in liberalisation of the visa regime for Moldovan citizens travelling to the European Union. These achievements placed Moldova on a path to reform and further developed the standards of democracy, security, rule of law, and economic modernisation.

 In 2014, she was selected by The Guardian newspaper as one of the “seven women to watch in global politics who are leading change all over the world.” 

Gherman was born in Chisinau, Moldova. She received her BA from the State University of the Republic of Moldova and her MA in War Studies from London University’s King’s College.