Trudeau could push for female UN boss
Ban Ki-moon’s departure has rumours flying a woman may inherit the reins of power
When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made his debut at the United Nations this week, his message was more than “Canada’s back.” He was challenging the world body to move forward to a future where women are equal, empowered and in charge.
“For me it’s just really obvious,” he told a high-level meeting organized by the UN women’s agency. “We should be standing up for women’s rights and creating more equal societies.”
The timing couldn’t be better. As Secretary General Ban Ki-moon prepares for a year-end exit, the backroom buzz is that a woman may finally rise to the top of the global ladder: something that has been far from obvious for the past seven decades.
“It would be a scandal for the UN to choose another man as secretary general,” said Stephen Lewis, a codirector of AIDS-free World and former UN ambassador. “There’s an unspoken sense within the community that the time to break this pattern of male leadership has come.”
As a policy-maker committed to female equality, Trudeau is in an ideal position to push for a female secretary general, he added.
“He’s the only country leader I know of who has made a point of meeting with a UN women’s agency. He’s been received with open arms at the UN. We should seize the opportunity and put our voice forward for women.”
But like everything in the sprawling complex on the East River in New York City, the path to the coveted 38th-floor office of the UN secretariat is far from clear.
Lobbying begins months before the end of a leader’s term, and this year, for the first time, member states can nominate “official” candidates, rather than mulling over a slate whose origins are murky and whose names are chosen by a few in backroom deals. But candidates from regions in line for the next leadership have a head start: in this case, East Europeans, who have never held the office.
“There’s an unwritten rule of rotating from region to region,” said Linda Fasulo, author of An Insider’s Guide to the UN, and an independent re- porter for NPR. “Nothing is carved in stone, but the feeling is that each region should have a turn.”
And, she added, there’s also a groundswell building for a female secretary general. “So this time they’re looking for an outstanding woman from East Europe.”
A major hurdle is approval by the Security Council, the UN’s power centre, which recommends a candidate for secretary general to the 193member General Assembly for endorsement.
The council’s five permanent members — the U.S., Russia, China, France and Britain — have vetoes, and must agree on a mutually acceptable candidate, which is complicated by the tensions between Russia and the U.S.
“Ten years ago they weren’t at loggerheads,” Fasulo said. “Now there are strong differences and neither is ready to compromise.”
There is also the recurring problem of whether the council members want a UN chief who will lead from the front, or take cues from them: a “secretary” or a “general.” It’s an important distinction at a time of dire global challenges that require strong global leadership.
“The secretary general’s job seems like a mission impossible,” Fasulo said. “They don’t really want a strong, high-profile person with definite views. They look for someone who doesn’t compete with the big powers.”
In spite of the difficulties, however, the aging organization appears to be creaking ahead in its acknowledgment of women.
“We’re closer to a female secretary general than we’ve ever been,” said Antonia Kirkland of New Yorkbased Equality Now, which has waged a 20-year campaign for a woman in the top office, and transparency in the election process.
The UN has accepted the need for more transparency, after widespread criticism. The General Assembly will be holding informal dialogues with prospective candidates, and accepting questions for them from civil society groups. “These are huge steps forward,” Kirkland said.
What has turned the tide for women, she adds, are a number of agreements promoting female leadership and equality. And a torrent of social media has burst the bubble of isolation around the secretive UN machinations.
The world body, she believes, is ready for a great leap forward — for the UN and women.