United Nations, April 7 Two women are in the running to become the next Secretary-General of the UN, nominated along with two male candidates, amid growing calls for the first woman to be elected as head of the global organization in its 80-year history.
The process to elect the next Secretary-General of the United Nations begins this month, with the four nominated candidates participating in interactive dialogues scheduled to be held at the UN Headquarters on April 21 and 22.
UN chief Antonio Guterres, the former Prime Minister of Portugal and former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, will complete his second five-year term as head of the global organization in December 2026.
He assumed office in 2017 as the ninth Secretary-General of the UN, an organization that has never had a female leader at its helm in its 80-year history.
Competing for the top job at the UN are former Chilean President and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and former Vice President of Costa Rica Rebeca Grynspan, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi, and former President of Senegal Macky Sall.
Bachelet has been nominated by Brazil and Mexico, while Grynspan has been nominated by Costa Rica, Grossi by Argentina, and Sall by Burundi.
The office of the President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, said on Monday that the interactive dialogues, comprising three-hour sessions for each candidate, will take place on April 21 and 22.
The Secretary-General is appointed by the 193-member General Assembly "upon the recommendation of the Security Council," the powerful but divided 15-nation body where China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US sit as permanent members and have veto powers.
A UN General Assembly resolution adopted in September last year had noted "with regret" that no woman has ever held the position of Secretary-General and had encouraged Member States to "strongly consider nominating women as candidates" for the top post.
Several advocacy and rights groups have called for electing a woman as the next UN Secretary-General, urging Member States to support "only" women candidates and to ensure a transparent and inclusive process.
"We believe that appointing a woman leader with a proven commitment to gender equality, human rights, and multilateralism is not just a symbolic step – it is a necessary one for the UN's legitimacy, effectiveness, and future,” said Woman SG, a campaign to elect a female UN Secretary-General.
1 for 8 billion, a global movement campaigning for an inclusive process to appoint the first woman UN Secretary-General, said the appointment of the next UN chief must be geared towards finding the candidate best able to rise to this challenge.
"That means giving all governments and people a chance to shape the process; not only the most powerful...And it means making history by appointing a woman to lead the 80-year-old institution."
"The UN’s normative power is waning, and historical injustice can no longer be tolerated – we need a feminist woman leader who reflects the future we want and the UN we need to get there.”