A Rash of Hard-Hitting Questions — Which May Remain Evasive — for Candidates Running for UN Chief

by Thalif Deen (united nations)Thursday, October 08, 2026Inter Press Service UNITED NATIONS, October 8 (IPS) - The seven candidates, still in the running for the post of UN Secretary-General (SG), have so far faced a barrage of questions, mostly from delegates and the news media. But some of the more politically-sensitive and heavily-loaded questions, have been avoided — either intentionally or by accident– primarily because the answers could trigger a veto from the P-5.Do you subscribe to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies at the UN? If so, will you help implement this policy, which excludes gender empowerment, and is strongly advocated by the Trump administration?The US has dismissed climate change as a “hoax”. Where do you stand on global warming and climate change? Any reaction to the US view?As Secretary-General, what will be your leadership philosophy?The ICC has determined that the Israeli Prime minister is a war criminal and is accused of committing genocide in Gaza. Do you agree? If not, what are your thoughts?Do you consider Taiwan an integral part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)? And, as Secretary-General, will you initiate negotiations to prevent a p...