COMMUNITY

In an open dialogue convened by the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) and RIMLAC, regional organizations and leaders called for the 2026 process to select the next United Nations Secretary-General to be parity-based, transparent, and inclusive, with clear criteria and meaningful civil society participation.

The event, titled “It’s Time for a Woman to Lead the United Nations as Secretary-General,” brought together voices from civil society, academia, and diplomatic circles to discuss how this decision will affect the legitimacy of multilateralism and the quality of global leadership at a time of multiple crises.

The GQUAL Campaign supported the dialogue alongside Feministas Sin Fronteras – Feminist Foreign Policy, the National University of José Clemente Paz (UNPAZ), Flora Tristán, and the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative, as part of a collective effort to consolidate parity as a democratic standard in international governance.

During the event, María Noel Leoni Zardo emphasized that the goal of having a woman lead the UN for the first time must go hand in hand with an essential condition: reforming how the selection is made. In that context, she argued that the process requires verifiable rules, meaningful hearings, and operational criteria that enable rigorous assessment of candidates’ merit and fitness for office, as well as the leadership capacities needed to strengthen public trust, institutional legitimacy, and the organization’s moral authority.

The conversation also featured contributions from Pablo Vommaro, Nora Goren, Elizabeth Salguero, Gina Vargas, and Marita Perceval, who highlighted the importance of this decision for the future of global governance and for Latin America, including the value of representation in the highest decision-making spaces.

▶️ Full event video: youtu.be/67bzmKTZJUc