: What Jacinda Ardern Could Do Next #WorldNEWS It did not take long. After Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s most magnetic resource besides ironsand, announced on January 19 that she no longer had

What Jacinda Ardern Could Do Next #WorldNEWS
It did not take long. After Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s most magnetic resource besides ironsand, announced on January 19 that she no longer had “enough in the tank” to continue as Prime Minister and would step down from leadership of her party in February, suggestions began to roll in for what she might do next.
Ardern electrified the international community, which usually only pays attention to New Zealand when its time for cricket or a Lord of the Rings movie. Her frankness, humanity and empathy stood in stark contrast to the many autocratic idealogues who have led nations at the same time as she has. Her deft communication during crises such as the Christchurch shooting, the volcano eruption, and the pandemic were globally admired.

“I have no doubt shell find new ways to remain at the forefront of issues shes most passionate about, including climate change and gun safety,” said philanthropist and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. “Her strong and decisive approach to the pandemic and the mass shooting at Christchurch—leading with pragmatism, facts, and resolve—reflected her approach to climate action, too, and I look forward to seeing where her commitment to service will lead her next. ”

Read More: History Came Fast at Jacinda Ardern
United Nations
Other leaders have taken their international popularity to the U. N. , including one of Ardern’s forbears, Helen Clark, who was Prime Minister of New Zealand for nine years. Six months after she lost the 2008 election, she became head of the United Nations Development Program. More recently, Michelle Bachelet, two-time president of Chile and, like Ardern, a progressive icon, was the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 2018 to 2022.
“There are U. N agencies that would be keen to get her expertise,” says Andrew Hudson, CEO of Centre for Policy Development, an Australian think tank that weighs in on issues in the South East Asian region. “She will be very well sought after on the international stage. ” U. N agencies, however, are notoriously bound by protocol and authorized speech, and Ardern’s world-famous candor and authenticity may not be strengths in that context. Moreover, democratic leaders often struggle at the U. N. , where an ability to mobilize a crowd is less important than a stomach for painstaking negotiation and committee-wrangling. Neither Clark nor Bachelet were considered very successful in their role.

Hagen Hopkins—Getty ImagesJacinda Ardern hugs a mosque-goer at the Kilbirnie Mosque, in Wellington, New Zealand, on March 17, 2019. 50 people are confirmed dead and 36 are injured still in hospital following shooting attacks on two mosques in Christchurch on March 15.