“In 2026 we will play two World Cups and I believe we will win both,” concluded the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and candidate for Secretary General of the United Nations. Rafael Grossiduring a presentation organized by the Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI) this Monday in La Rural.
The 64-year-old diplomat used the invitation to present the basic principles of his candidacy for the top position of the multilateral organization, characterized by the conviction to make the United Nations a central player in international peace negotiations again and to reform the way the organization functions.
Before a group of personalities such as Tourism Minister Daniel Scioli, Human Capital Minister Sandra Petovello and Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno – who had previously made Grossi’s nomination official by the government of President Javier Milei – as well as various ambassadors and prominent members of civil society, Grossi insisted on the primacy of the United Nations as the main platform for multilateralism, bucking the trend of trust in spaces such as the G7 or the BRICS.
In addition, he pointed to his involvement as a mediator in the war in Ukraine, where he held talks with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to ensure his agency’s constant monitoring of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is in the hands of the Kremlin and has been caught in the crossfire, and his efforts to inspect Iranian nuclear facilities despite threats, both examples of the diplomat’s manner wants to lead the UN.
“We need a Secretary General who will put his boots on and go where the problem is,” Grossi summarized.
On the other hand, the diplomat insisted on the need to recognize that “there are many things that are not working well at the United Nations” and called for a “look without hypocrisy, which recognizes the shortcomings of what we want to change”.
“This courage to reform is necessary. And Argentina knows it,” said Grossi, winking at the government.
Finally, he thanked the support for his candidacy and assured that he was confident that he would be able to bring the UN back into focus. “Some say the days of the United Nations are over,” Grossi said. “I disagree,” he reiterated.
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