Former Chancellor Angela Merkel has turned down a proposal from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a job, her workplace and UN sources mentioned on Wednesday.
Merkel “spoke to the UN secretary-general in the last week, thanked him and let him know that she would not be taking up the offer,” her workplace mentioned.
What position did Merkel flip down?
Guterres had supplied Merkel the chair of a high-level UN advisory physique on international public items, UN sources mentioned. The advisory board is without doubt one of the flagship reform initiatives that Guterres proposed for the UN in his second time period, which began in January.
The physique will “identify global public goods and other areas of common interest where governance improvements are most needed, and to propose options for how this could be achieved,” in accordance with UN sources cited by German media.
The international public good is to incorporate matters such because the ozone layer, vaccines and international commerce.
What is understood about Merkel’s post-retirement plans?
After 16 years in workplace as German chancellor, the 67-year-old conservative politician give up German politics on the finish of final yr. She didn’t stand once more within the federal election in September that was gained by Social Democrat Olaf Scholz.
Before stepping down, Merkel had prevented the highlight exterior of her political duties and had been tight-lipped about her post-politics plans.
Merkel’s longtime aide Beate Baumann is working together with her on her political memoir, in accordance with Der Spiegel journal.
The memoir wouldn’t “retell [Merkel’s] entire life,” Baumann advised Der Spiegel, however fairly “explain her key political decisions in her own words, and look back on her life’s journey.”
