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Lecture by the Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations, at Harvard University
On May 13, 2016, at the invitation of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations, Ambassador Ion Jinga, delivered a lecture at Harvard University.
The program of the visit also included a working lunch with Dr. Manuel Muñiz, Director of the Program on Transatlantic Relations, and Prof. Loukas Tsoukalis, Pierre Keller Visiting Professor at John F. Kennedy School of Government, and visit tours of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Dr. Ion Jinga spoke at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs on the topic „The UN in 2016 – Challenges and Expectations”. His lecture, attended by students of Harvard University, MIT and University of Massachusetts, as well as by members of academia of the Weatherhead Center and John F. Kennedy School of Government, was followed by a prolonged Q & A session moderated by Dr. Birthe Anders, Fellow, Program on Transatlantic Relations, Weatherhead Center and at the Department of War Studies, King’s College, London.
Using as a starting point a quote from Henry Kissinger, one of the founders of the Weatherhead Center, who in 1958 said „Foreign affairs in our era pose unprecedented tasks. Today no region is isolated; none can be ignored. Actions and events even in remote places may have immediate worldwide impact”, the Ambassador of Romania to the UN highlighted the importance of multilateral diplomacy as a fundamental element for identifying solutions to the current global problems confronting the international community – terrorism, mass migration, civil wars and conflicts, climate change and limited access to vital resources such as water, food and energy - in the resolution of which there is no substitute to the UN legitimacy and its potential to mobilize the widest possible coalitions.
He underlined the importance of a proper implementation of the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development and of the Paris agreement on climate change, insisting on the role national authorities have in these processes, as the UN can only guide, coordinate and assist countries in the implementation of internationally agreed commitments.
Dr. Ion Jinga reviewed the contribution of Romania to the UN, which is based on a solid tradition in multilateral diplomacy and on a significant involvement in fighting terrorism, conflict prevention mediation, promoting good governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights, and providing official development assistance.
He underlined the solid engagement of Romania in fulfilling the ideals and objectives of the Organization, also reflected by the presence of 10,000 Romanian troops in UN peacekeeping operations during the last 25 years, as well as by the endorsement of the “Kigali Principles” which refers to the protection of civilians in armed conflicts and the participation to the “Group of Friends of the Governance for Sustainable Development”.
Noting that his approach is one of a practitioner of international relations, the Ambassador underlined the role academics, students and young professionals may have in disseminating the values of multilateral diplomacy, as well as in conceptualizing and handling topics on the UN agenda, as an investment in the next generation of political and economic leaders.
He answered the questions of the public on various themes on the UN agenda, such as the reform of the Organization, the procedure for the election of future Secretary General, fighting terrorism, climate change, migration and Romania’s priorities at the UN.