COMMUNITY

Following the release of an open letter urging UN Member States to support only women candidates for the next Secretary-General and to ensure a transparent and inclusive selection process, more than one hundred and sixty organizations and over two hundred and ninety individuals—civil society leaders, academics, legal professionals, and UN staff—from more than eighty countries have publicly joined the call.

As part of the Steering Committee of the 1 for 8 Billion campaign, GQUAL supports this collective action, which places legitimacy, transparency, and equality at the center of the selection of the next Secretary-General.

The letter advances a dual demand. After eighty years, it is time for a woman to lead the United Nations, and that decision must be made through a selection process that is transparent, inclusive, merit-based, and grounded in meaningful civil society participation.

The document argues that the credibility of the multilateral system depends on breaking with persistent patterns of exclusion and aligning the appointment with the principles the UN itself claims to uphold.

The letter calls on Member States to make three concrete commitments. Support only women candidates for the position of Secretary-General. Ensure the appointment of a leader with an unequivocal commitment to human rights and multilateralism. Guarantee a transparent and inclusive selection process, with meaningful civil society participation.

It also underscores that institutional coherence is at stake, because an organization mandated to defend equality cannot perpetuate exclusion in its highest office, and because, in a context of multiple crises and growing distrust in international cooperation, the UN’s legitimacy depends on a selection process that is open, measurable, and aligned with standards of accountability.

The letter was jointly coordinated by 1 for 8 Billion, Nobel Women’s Initiative, Peace Direct, and ICAN (International Civil Society Action Network), with the support of partners such as United Nations Association – UK and Plataforma CIPÓ.

Read the open letter: https://bit.ly/48CFX49