"Yes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted my candidacy and I will participate in the competition. If I am elected, I will have two years of work in the vicinity of the UN Secretary General," Kaljurand told EPL.

"I have had the opportunity to advise the [UN] Secretary-General on digital issues in the past when I was a member of the Secretary-General's Digital Cooperation Panel chaired by Melinda Gates and Jack Ma from 2019 to 2020," she added.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres created the post of technology ambassador under his direct authority a few years ago, but Fabrizio Hochschild Drummond, a Chilean diplomat originally elected to the post, had to resign early last year on charges of discrimination, sexual harassment and abuse of power.

After the creation of the position, several countries showed great interest in it, former President Toomas Hendrik Ilves from Estonia also ran, EPL wrote.

The role of the Technology Ambassador would be to promote global digital collaboration and reduce the development gap in the world.

The position of technology ambassador is to be filled by the end of March at the latest, and if Kaljurand gets it, Indrek Tarand, a former two-term MEP who has returned to work in the Foreign Ministry, will take the seat after finishing in third place in the 2019 European elections for SDE after Kaljurand and the party's other MEP, Sven Mikser.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!