The heads of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly have called for women nominees to break the world organisation’s glass ceiling by running for secretary-general.
Assembly President Annalena Baerbock and Council President Michael Imran Kanu wrote to UN members that member states are encouraged to strongly consider nominating women as candidates, starting off the election process for Secretary-General yesterday.
No woman has ever held the position of secretary-general.
The elections are scheduled for next year, and the candidate elected will become the tenth Secretary-General on January 1, 2027, taking over from Guterres, who will be completing his second term.
The
UN Charter says that the General Assembly appoints the UN Secretary-General upon the recommendation of the Security Council.