Ivonne A-Baki, candidate for the position of UN Secretary-General following her interactive dialogue - Media Stakeout

Thank you.
Please, Ambassador Tone Good afternoon, everybody.
My name is Viliami Va'inga Tone.
I am the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Tonga to the United Nations.
I'm very honored today to introduce my good friend, Ambassador Ivonne A-Baki to be here today.
Earlier this week, the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga had the good pleasure—profound privilege—of formally nominating Ambassador Baki to be the Tour de Position of the UN Secretary General.
We also did this because we believe she possesses the experience, diplomatic skill, and integrity to lead a renewal of the United Nations to enable it to advance the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter, which are peace and security, development, and the human rights.
Ambassador Baki, the podium is yours.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Okay, next one.
Thank you, Ambassador.
Thank you, everyone.
First of all, I want to thank you, Ambassador Tone.
And I want to thank the Kingdom of Tonga, the King of Tonga, the Prime Minister of Tonga.
And I am here, all yours.
It's been a long day.
We've been presenting at the General Assembly, and also I have a meeting with the Security Council.
So, any questions? I'm here.
Ambassador, my name is Gabriel Lazando from Al Jazeera English.
I know it's been a long day, but my question is—thanks for doing this—my question is: what have your conversations been with the United States? I know you have close contacts, having formerly been the Ecuador's Ambassador here to this country.
In recent weeks, what have been your conversations, either with the mission or with Washington, in terms of running for this position? Well, I've had conversations with everyone.
And I've had conversations with the United States.
I've had conversations with Ecuador, my country, too.
I've had conversations with Lebanon, my other country, too.
I've had conversations with everyone.
And that's my style of being.
I talk with everyone.
And I'm looking forward for everyone to support me.
Has the United States told you they'll support you, or— The United States is not choosing any candidate.
And I don't expect for them to say anything.
Thank you.
Thank you.
But the United States does select a candidate.
So what is their responsibility, in your opinion? I didn't hear.
I could not hear.
The United States does select a candidate, one of, you know, 15 members.
They chose? They chose the right candidate? No.
No.
I'm just wondering what they said to you about your candidacy.
Washington.
I was—I was Ambassador in Washington.
I was Ambassador in Washington.
I've been twice Ambassador in Washington, so I know Washington very well.
I've been with many presidents in Washington.
I've been more than 10 years as Ambassador there, so I know everyone.
And I know a lot of presidents from all over.
I've been with more than 12 presidents in Ecuador.
So I've been representing Ecuador for more than three decades in different positions.
And I've been representing Ecuador as a diplomat also, in different countries around the world.
I was Ambassador in Qatar, covering seven Middle Eastern countries.
And the last position I had was just in France and Monaco.
And then I came back.
And now I am candidate for Secretary General for the United Nations, because I believe that to make peace in the world, we need the UN.
It's time.
Ambassador Baki? My dear— Thank you.
أهلاً.
أهلاً بك.
أهلاً.
ممكن أسألك بالعربي؟ بالعربي، طبعاً.
ليش الترشيح لك أجى من تونغا، مش من الإكوادور، بلدك؟ هيدا—هيدا سؤال.
بلدي أنا مش بس لبنان وإكوادور بلدي.
أنا كل البلاد، محل ما أنا بكون، بحس حالي من هالبلد.
بس أنا بصدق كتير بالجزر الصغرى، اللي هنّ كتير مهمين لكل شي.
أنا مثلاً، جالاباغوس بالنسبة لي كمان جزر.
وساعدت كتير لحتى نساعد الناس اللي مش بلادي كبار بس.
بقى بالنسبة لي تونغا كتير مهمة، وأنا مبسوطة إنه هنّ سمّوني.
وبالـ—بالـ UN مش ضروري البلد اللي هو بلده يسميه.
بس أنا بعتبر حالي من الإكوادور، بعتبر حالي من لبنان، بعتبر حالي من العالم.
كيف تقيّمي اجتماعك اليوم مع أعضاء الجمعية العامة؟ وأيضاً، لماذا تأخرتِ إلى هذا الحد، يعني، إلى هذه الدرجة عن غيركِ في الترشح؟ شوف، هيدا سؤالي كتير مهم.
كان كتير منيح الاجتماع.
بالفعل كان كتير منيح الاجتماع مع الكل.
وأنا بحس إنه كلهم بدهم—بدهم يعملوا أكتر.
يعني، الـ UN بحاجة لتغيير.
وعم ينعمل.
وعم ينعمل كتير منيح.
ليش تأخرت؟ لأنه أنا ما بفتكر الواحد لازم يوصل للأول دغري.
ليش؟ مضبوط أو لا؟ أوكي.
شكراً.
لا.
هيّا، أنا ما قلت هالشي.
ما قلت هالشي.
بس شكراً.
Thank you so much.
You mentioned that you'll be on the ground, on the ground in the wars of— Exactly.
I will.
Will you travel to Gaza, to Ukraine? Absolutely.
I will travel to everywhere.
I was living in Lebanon during the war.
I was there in Lebanon for more than 20 years under the bombs.
My children were born under the bombs, and the music for my children to sleep were the bombs.
I'm doing this because I believe in peace for the generations to come, and for present generations too.
So I will be there.
And then on Ukraine, what is your strategy to solve this crisis? To? On Ukraine, then.
Ukraine.
On Ukraine? Ukraine conflict, yes.
عم تحكي عن يوكرين، ما بسمع مني.
هيّا كرايسس؟ Ukraine.
Ukraine.
So, so— Some Ukraine crisis.
What is your strategy? كيف بتحلي مشكلة الحرب في يوكرين؟ حرب في يوكرين، بس ما عم بسمع مضبوط.
أوكي.
شوف، أنا ما راح أعطي شو اللي بفكر كيف يوكرين.
بس أنا بصدق إنه لازم— I'm sorry, in English.
Oh, I'm sorry.
No, you know, I believe that, of course, all wars have a reason.
But once UN couldn't prevent the war, because it could—possible to prevent it, we have to find a solution that doesn't take much time.
And I think it took enough time.
And people are dying.
And this is the thing that we have to think about: what more? When is enough? So we need to find a solution that is good for both countries.
I will not say more than that now.
But the UN can do.
Yes.
Hi, it's Eric Peters with Kyoto News Agency.
Then Eric? Eric Peters with Kyoto News Agency.
It's a Japanese news agency.
Oh.
I want to ask about the ICC.
So the US has recently announced sanctions against the ICC, including the President, Tomokawa Akane.
What is your position on that? And that the ICC has meetings in the headquarters here in New York every year.
Do you plan to facilitate those meetings? Thank you.
I will not say anything about the ICC.
That's a position of the United States.
And I'm not going to mention what I believe now.
Anyone else? When you lived in Lebanon, did you visit much of Palestine or Gaza? I—I'm from Lebanon, so I've been in Lebanon.
I didn't visit Palestine or Gaza.
I didn't.
And I didn't visit Israel.
I mean, I didn't visit any one of those.
But if I become Secretary General, I will visit all of them.
Thank you.
Anyone else? Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Have a great day.
And for—please, for—for further press queries, please come to the front.
We can—you can interact with some people from our team.
We're willing to give out some cards and stay in touch.
Thank you.