Kuala Lumpur: Asserting that he has a ‘vision’ to change the UN, Shashi Tharoor, India's candidate for the post of Secretary General, on Saturday said that if elected, he would also pitch in for liberalising global trade which would ensure a ‘fair chance’ for developing nations.
The UN is concerned about the development of the WTO talks, he said adding, developing countries "don't want handouts, they just want a fair chance to trade."
"We also believe very strongly that many countries would like to trade their way out of poverty," Tharoor told Malaysia's state-run Bernama news agency.
He said such trade was not possible as long as developed nations protected their industries and gave extremely generous subsidies to their farmers.
Tharoor admitted that the UN could not intervene in the WTO talks, but could urge them to work in the right direction.
"I can assure you that if I was the elected Secretary General I will continue to hammer the message that it is extremely important to liberalise the global trade regime," he said.
He said that India had been very vocal and had played a significant role in pushing for a much liberalise world trade.
"Each developing country has its own domestic realities and its own advantages but nonetheless there are issues of common interest. And I think this can be done with effective multilateral trading system," he added.
The UN Undersecretary General for Communication and Public Information said he had a ‘vision’ for the UN.
"I am a strong believer in change. I believe the organisation needs reform not because the UN has failed but because the UN has succeeded enough that it is worth investing in," he added.
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