A word to the world

EVELINA RIOUKHINA

Interview with Mr. Sven ALKALAJ, Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe

How does it feel to cover the position of Under-Secretary-General, the ES of the ECE in Geneva? Has it always been your dream to work for the United Nations, especially in such a high and honourable position?
The position of USG and ES of UNECE is a great honour for me above all, but at the same time a great responsibility to hold UNECE to the highest standards, develop best practices and scale up UNECE capacity in key areas of the UN’s goals.

In that sense, let me remind you that the aim and mission of UNECE is to facilitate greater economic integration and cooperation among member States and promote sustainable development: (a) Policy dialogue; (b) Negotiation of international legal instruments; (c) Development of regulations and norms; (d) Exchange and application of best practices as well as economic and technical expertise; and (e) Technical cooperation for countries with economies in transition.

This will mean focussing on the UN’s global mandate in the economic field, in cooperation with member States and other key stakeholders.
Yes, it has always been my wish to work for the UN at some stage in my career. It seems that my career has progressed from diplomacy, being an ambassador in Washington and Brussels and for the last five years, Foreign Minister – to this honourable position.

Yes, my dream has come true working for the UN, and at the same time it is a great pleasure to work closely with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a man who has the vision, energy and commitment to lead this Organization.