Who is Arora Akanksha, The Indian-origin Employee at UN to Run For Its Secretary-General Post?

A report in news site PassBlue said India-born Akanksha has an Overseas Citizenship of India and a Canadian passport. She hasn't asked either country for an official endorsement.

Written by: India.com News Desk Edited by: Priyanka

Updated: February 14, 2021, 7:35 PM IST

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Arora Akanksha (Image Credit: twitter.com/arora4people)

United Nations: Arora Akanksha, an Indian-origin employee at the UN has announced her candidacy to be its next Secretary-General. She is the first person to throw her hat in the ring against incumbent Antonio Guterres, who is seeking a second five-year term beginning January 2022 as chief of the world organisation.

Akanksha, 34, working as an audit coordinator for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said she will run for the post of the world’s top diplomat and launched her campaign #AroraForSG this month.

I am Arora Akanksha. I am 34 years old and I am running for Secretary-General of the United Nations. @UNOW_official #UNthatworks #Aroraforsg #UNOW pic.twitter.com/urdYXn03wA

— Arora Akanksha (@arora4people) February 9, 2021

“People in my position aren’t supposed to stand up to the ones in charge. We are supposed to wait our turn, hop on the hamster wheel, go to work, keep our heads down and accept that the world is the way it is,” Akanksha can be heard saying in a two and half minute campaign video posted online.

The video shows Akanksha walking inside the sprawling UN headquarters, as her voiceover says that people who have come before her have failed to hold the UN accountable.

“For 75 years, the UN has not fulfilled its promise to the world – refugees haven’t been protected, humanitarian aid has been minimal, and technology and innovation has been on the back-burner. We deserve a UN that leads progress,” she said.

“That is why I am running for the Secretary-General of the United Nations. I refuse to be a by-stander. I will not accept this is the best the UN can do,” she added.

Akanksha further said it is high time that the UN stop serving politicians and start serving people.

“It is time for a new UN – a UN that is a guardian for refugees, takes humanitarian crises through to completion and gets technology and education in the hands of all. These ideas are not impossible and don’t need another 75 years to accomplish,” she said.

“It takes someone being bold, being a first – first to speak up, first to take action, first to make a difference and now first to challenge the UN. I’m no longer waiting for the torch to be passed down, I’m taking it because I am part of the generation of change where we don’t just talk about change, we cause change,” she added.

She also thanked supporters on Twitter while urging them to vote.

Thank you for your support! Please go on https://t.co/Gb2t2vrh3L and vote for a #UNThatWorks. We the people are more powerful than any system. pic.twitter.com/nVzS6hYHuo

— Arora Akanksha (@arora4people) February 12, 2021

According to her profile on her website UNOW.org, Akanksha graduated from York University, Toronto with a Bachelor of Administrative Studies. She received her Master in Public Administration from Columbia University.

Her profile states that she was recruited at the UN to help with the financial reforms of the organisation and her work included updating financial regulations and rules of the UN and managing the internal and external audits at UNDP.

A report in news site PassBlue said India-born Akanksha has an Overseas Citizenship of India and a Canadian passport. She hasn’t asked either country for an official endorsement. She is nevertheless hopeful that her candidacy could shake up the selection process, the PassBlue report said.

(With inputs from PTI)