UNITED NATIONS – Chile has called on the 80-year-old United Nations to elect a woman to head the organization and is suggesting that the person comes from Latin America and the Caribbean.
Barbados Prime Minister Mia MottleyThe next UN Secretary-General will serve a five-year term starting in January 2027, after current chief António Guterres of Portugal leaves office and Chile’s representative told the United Nations Security Council last weekend that there is need for “an open, participatory and gender-inclusive process” given that no woman has ever held the post.
“After 80 years, the time has come for a woman to lead this organization; a woman who, with her leadership and vision, can provide the multilateral system with the credibility that it needs to respond to the challenges of our time,” The Chilean representative said.
“The principle of regional rotation should be respected as well, and it is the turn of the region of Latin America and the Caribbean to lead this post,” he added.
In recent times, the name of the Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, has surfaced as a possible candidate for the position, while other prominent potential candidates include Michelle Bachelet (Chile), Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica), and Rafael Grossi (Argentina).
The UN said that governments will soon submit letters nominating candidates as the top post is traditionally rotated among geographical regions, although all UN chiefs to date have been men.
The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, the UN’s most representative body, following a recommendation from the Council’s 15 members.
“As the year draws to a close, the Council approaches one of its most significant responsibilities, namely the process of selection of the next Secretary-General,” said Danish Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen, co-chair of the Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions.
“In the coming months, the Council will be discussing how it votes, how it engages with candidates, how it informs the wider membership of its progress and its outcomes.”
More than 40 countries participated in the debate on the Council’s working methods, known as Note 507, adopted last December.
How meetings are conducted has become increasingly important over the past year, given the urgent crises on its agenda, said Loraine Sievers, former chief of the office that supports the daily work of the council.
