UN still a man’s world: Clark

A GLASS ceiling is held firmly in place by the great five powers at the United Nations, according to former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark.

But women in leadership, including with her own candidacy for the job of UN secretary- general in 2016, are laying the groundwork to break through, she told a Townsville Bulletin Business Breakfast yesterday.

“There’s two ways of thinking about it: one was that it was six months out of my life that didn’t end in success,” Ms Clark said.

“On the other hand, if women like me don’t step up and try to take on these jobs, when will women ever break through?”

No woman has led the international organisation and Ms Clark was among several women who tried and failed in 2016. Ms Clark told the Townsville event the campaign for secretary- general was tough. “It’s gender politics,” she said. “It’s also that traditionally when selecting a secretary- general the great powers don’t want someone of an independent mind because they don’t want someone who is going to rattle things too much.”

Ms Clark said the five permanent members of the UN’s Security Council reflected in the outcome of World War II – the UK, US, France, Russia and China – determined who would be secretary- general.

“Any one of those five countries can strike a death blow to candidacy. I had three death blows,” Ms Clark said. “I should have taken it as a sign of pride really.”

She said having secretaries- general serve only one term would be a useful reform.