Campaign calls for first female UN chief and open selection process

In the margins of the UN’s Summit of the Future, the “1 for 8 Billion” campaign on 20 September 2024 launched a new policy platform, demanding that after 80 years it was time for the first woman to serve as UN Secretary-General.

According to the campaign, governments should refrain from nominating any male candidates in the next selection process which is expected to begin in late next year. While the Summit’s outcome document, the Pact for the Future, noted the “regrettable fact that there has never been a woman Secretary-General” it merely encouraged Member States “to consider nominating women as candidates”.

The launch event in New York gathered a panel of women leaders, among them Maritza Chan-Valverde, Costa Rica’s UN Ambassador, Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Susana Malcorra, former Foreign Minister of Argentina and founder of GWL Voices, which also discussed the platform’s call for a fair, open and inclusive selection process.

Call for a fair, open and inclusive selection process

Moderating the discussion, “1 for 8 Billion” co-founder Natalie Samarasinghe recalled according to the event’s report that ten years ago, when the previous iteration of the campaign was established, “the UN seemed to have fewer rules for appointing the secretary general than it did for appointing interns.”

The report points out that the previous campaign, “1 for 7 Billion”, worked “with member states to bring the selection process out of the shadows for the first time in the Organisation’s history. Public dialogues with candidates, scrutiny of their records by journalists and civil society, as well as greater involvement by the wider UN membership, all helped to put some pressure on the P5, undoubtedly shaping the outcome.” 

The new policy platform builds on the 2015-16 reforms and calls for “improved hearings at the General Assembly, cooperation between states to jointly nominate candidates and full transparency every step of the way”. The policy document also makes the case that the Security Council, which according to the UN Charter is to suggest a candidate, should give the General Assembly “a meaningful choice in the appointment by supplying a shortlist of candidates for the UN’s full membership to choose from”.

A feminist leader can revitalize the UN with a fresh approach

Maritza Chan-Valverde, Costa Rica’s first female UN Ambassador and a leader in the Accountability, Coherence, and Transparency coalition of like-minded Member States, known as ACT coalition, is driving efforts to reform the UN Secretary-General selection. She emphasized that “the General Assembly and the Security Council must work together,” adding that one-third of states could “refuse to accept a male candidate” if the Council overlooks female candidates. She additionally urged civil society to closely watch the General Assembly’s working group on revitalization, calling it “the heart of this process.” 

Helen Clark, a former candidate for UN chief, highlighted the need for a coalition backing a female leader to help unify the UN. A “feminist leader,” she argued, could “revitalize the UN” with a fresh approach to global challenges. Susana Malcorra, another former candidate, emphasized that “women in multilateralism” reshape global perceptions of the UN, a sentiment at the core of GWL Voices’ “Madam Secretary-General” campaign, which also advocates for gender rotation in the General Assembly Presidency.

The “1 for 8 Billion” campaign provides advice as to how individuals can write to their government and invites organizations to express their endorsement.

Democracy Without Borders is among the groups that support the campaign and its policy platform.