Speaking to an overflow audience at IPI at an April 6th event based on his new book The Unfinished Global Revolution: The Pursuit of a New International Politics, Mark Malloch Brown, former UN Deputy Secretary-General, took a moment to address comments to young people contemplating public service, and in particular, a career working for the UN.
“This, I hope, is a book which will lift up the spirits of twenty-somethings and make them realize that this is an extraordinary organization to be part of, and that you can, in difficult, different ways, make an astonishing difference,” he said.
In his remarks, he laid out the central thesis of the book—that as we have become more integrated, we have also become less governed—and spoke out of his own experience as a journalist, international political consultant, and World Bank official, as well as his years as administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and top aide to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
“It’s also a book,” he explained,” which I hope will encourage people to go and work for banks internationally, or for NGOs internationally, or for multinationals or foundations, because, above all else, it’s about the exciting idea that we are citizens of one world now, and the more we can experience that and immerse ourselves in it, the greater value, perhaps, we can secure in our lives and our careers, not just for ourselves, but for the families that have the advantage of sharing that life with us.”
Moderating the evening event was Warren Hoge, IPI’s Vice President for External Relations.
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