Dr. Migiro's Press Encounter

[Mzalendo]

DSG: Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. Mr. Secretary-General, I would like
to thank you very much for those kind words.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to see you all today in my first
encounter as Deputy Secretary-General. I hope to meet with you often again
in future, and to have opportunity to speak to you in greater depth.

I believe the media is crucial to the success of the United Nations
mission. You help connect our work to people around the globe. I feel deeply
honoured and privileged that the Secretary-General has placed his trust in
me. As he has just mentioned, I have come from a short swearing-in ceremony
presided over by him. I signed, as all staff do upon joining the
Organization, a Declaration pledging to exercise in all loyalty, discretion
and conscience, the functions entrusted to me with the interest of the
United Nations only in view. As Deputy Secretary-General, I am wholly
dedicated to advancing the work of the United Nations and the ideals
enshrined in the Charter. I am also fully committed to supporting the
priorities set by the Secretary-General, priorities you have heard him
define in his previous encounters with you, which are: strengthening the
work of the United Nations, enhancing trust between Member States and the
Secretariat, bolstering the working culture of the Organization to ensure it
is equipped to meet the mandates our membership has given us. In particular
I will support the Secretary-General in managing and reforming the
Secretariat, and work with the broader UN family on economic and social
issues.

In all I do I will strive to bring about a more integrated United Nations,
which delivers as one. I have had a hectic but very interesting beginning
indeed. On my first two days in office, last Thursday and Friday, I met with
representatives of several Member States, as well as a wide range of senior
United Nations officials and staff from numerous departments and from Funds
and Programmes. I will have many more such meetings in the weeks ahead. I
look forward to the task ahead with excitement and enthusiasm, but equally
with profound humility, and above all I look forward to working with the
Secretary-General to implement his vision.

I anticipate an open and constructive dialogue with all of you, Ladies and
Gentlemen of the media, as I discharge my duties. I will now be happy to
answer a few questions, if you have any. Thank you very much for your kind
attention.

Q: Dr. Migiro. As you probably know there has been an enormous emphasis
here on overhauling the management of the United Nations. The
Secretary-General has said you will be the person in charge of that. Some
people have said you don't have enough experience in management to be the
person to conduct that as forcefully as it will have to be conducted. Can
you respond to that criticism, please?

DSG: In the first place I should say that I do have the managerial
capability in my work experience. First as an academic, I have had
responsibility that involved management. But I have also successfully
managed two important ministries of my country – first, the Ministry of
Community Development, Gender and Children, and secondly the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. So I believe I have enough capability to do the managerial
work that the SG envisages, and maybe I should emphasize that, yes, the
United Nations is a big organization, but management does not always have to
do with the size of the Organization. What matters is whether one has the
experience, the skills, the dedication and the commitment to work as a team.
My experience in the last week has shown that there is a lot of expertise,
there are a lot of skills within the United Nations, and I am ready to tap
these skills, combined with my own, so really I believe that I have the
relevant managerial capability to meet the challenges that the SG will
entrust upon me.

Q: Had you met the Secretary-General before you were offered this job?

DSG: Several times. First, I met him when he visited my country. At that
time I was Minister for Community Development, and he was the guest of our
Government, so I met him. But I also met him when I became Minister for
Foreign Affairs. I met him before he was a candidate. I met him at the time
he was candidate, and then I met him when he was SG-designate. So I have met
him several times, including here in New York.

Q: I have a development question. Under your predecessor, Mark Malloch
Brown, there was this proposal of one UN – to consolidate development
programmes. In light of recent developments at UNDP, and the call for an
urgent audit by the Secretary-General, do you think it still makes sense to
put all development in every country under UNDP, and if so, why?

DSG: I think it is, and if I may take the experience that I had when I was
Minister for Community Development, and the experience of Tanzania in
general, there has been confusion on the part of the stakeholders in
relation to the various programmes of the UN, which were scattered. And
there has been a cry, at least in Tanzania, to have these under one roof, so
we have one programme, we have one budget, we have one vision and one voice.
For your information, Tanzania is one of those countries that have applied
to be on the pilot [programme]. We think that is important. When I was
Minister for Foreign Affairs, I did make this request, and it has been
granted. So I think it is important for purposes of development,
particularly in developing countries, to have these programmes harmonized,
coordinated, even under the UNDP.

Q: Your predecessor made some speeches in his final months criticizing US
and British foreign policy as damaging the world, the institution, Iraq. Do
you have any thoughts like that, and will you be speaking out? And welcome
to the UN. [laughter]


DSG: Thank you very much. I think that Member States do have their own
priorities. They have their own set policies, and what is important for the
UN is to build a concensus between what different Member States think and
others, and to act as a bridge, to confront the challenges together, and to
look at the issues together. So, there is diversity in membership, we have
to agree on that, but we can still work together as a family -
consultations, dialogue, sensitivity.

Spokesperson: I have asked on your behalf that Dr. Migiro come to 226 at
some time in the next few days, but I think the Secretary-General will also
answer some questions.

DSG: Thank you very much.

[Mariam]

Mzalendo, If I can search properly in my reserve memory you had previously posted one or two posts in relation to Dr. Migiro's appointment...what's your take in this?

Although she was probably expecting these questions (since they have been floating around for quiet sometimes ), but what do you think about DSG and her abilities so far? and the way she has responded to questions posed in this press conference? (no "time will tell" answers!)

[Mzalendo]

The issue here is that there is no universal approval method for effectiveness, and the media pretty much can make or break you. She is coming from a media culture that embraces & glorifies politicals (refer to cartoon showing Tanzanian journalists kissing Kikwete's shoes online), this time around they sounded soft. She has to learn how to deal with western media types, that can storm with right-wing agendas.

[Sie]

Mariam said:
but what do you think about DSG and her abilities so far? and the way she has responded to questions posed in this press conference? (no "time will tell" answers!)

I think Mzalendo has not yet responded to the question about the DSG and her abilities which is probably what Mariam was primarily looking for in the question above...

[Jonny]

I know the question was directed to Mzalendo and he/she is still welcome to respond but let me say that with the speech one can argue that it was written but I think spontaneous questions are a good measuring tool of how one thinks.
Even though the questions were few I think she answered them very well and might have surprised a few people at the UN who thought she would choke.
However it is still early to tell how well she will do in this position, hopefully she will keep doing well.
What say you?
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_________________
Opportunities are never lost, someone will take the ones you miss.

[ash]

well put especially the last question if all she said was implemented the world seem a better place.

[Mkakati]

yap, I think she did well. I feel proud already

 

_________________
"A brain is a terrible thing to waste."

[Mzalendo]

Mmmhhh......video is worth more than a 10,000 words : -)

http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/sc/so070205am.rm

OR::
http://www.un.org/webcast/sg.html
and select 05 February 2007

[Mariam]

[quote="Sie"] I think Mzalendo has not yet responded to the question about the DSG and her abilities which is probably what Mariam was primarily looking for in the question above... [/quote]

yes Sie , hopefully Mzalendo will come back to quench our thirsty!

oouuuch! Dr. Migiro's confidence is a "heartbreaker", I didn't see that one when Pres Kikwete had his press encounter in the U.S.!...she reminds me of so many Mothers!! I continue to see Oprah's vision each day:-), may be her $40 million and still counting is worthwhile spending