Meeting UN Secretary-General candidate, Chinese FM Wang Yi says world needs UN

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with United Nations Secretary-General candidate Carolyn Rodriguez-Birkett and said that although the UN is ‘not perfect’, the world would be worse off without the body. In the meeting in Beijing on Monday, Wang Yi said all parties hope the next UN Secretary-General will be able to lead the organisation in facing various global challenges, including maintaining international peace and promoting world development. Wang also stressed that China consistently upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and supports the organisation’s role. ‘China has always been and will continue to be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order,’ Wang said. He added that Beijing will participate responsibly and constructively in the election of the UN Secretary-General. Birkett also committed to upholding justice and placing sustainable development as a priority on the international agenda. The election of the 10th UN Secretary-General is scheduled to take place this year, but the date has not yet been announced. The elected Secretary-General will begin their term on the first day of 2027 for a five-year period. Since the UN was founded in 1945, no woman has ever served as Secretary-General.