Ambassador Kai Sauer, Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations, joins Cameron Munter to discuss the future role of the UN. 

“I think part of the problem of why the UN is perceived as bureaucratic and ineffective is the technical nature of it...You leave a lot of the decision-making to low-level diplomats,” says Sauer.

"I still believe the UN should focus on its three main pillars: development, peace and security and human rights," Sauer adds. "I think the best performance has been shown in the development pillar—the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals—they are really a great achievement."  

Ambassador Sauer's diplomatic service to Finland spans nearly 25 years. He began as a Desk Officer within the Finnish Foreign Ministry and continued as the Deputy Head of the Embassy of Finland in Croatia, as the First Secretary of Finland to the United Nations and operated in several senior roles in support of the UN’s mission in Kosovo. He was appointed the Ambassador of Finland to Indonesia and finally assumed his current post in 2014.