Ban Ki-moon Says The Next UN Secretary-General Should Be A Woman

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon believes the next person to lead the organisation should be a woman. As he approaches the end of his second five-year term, Ban said that “it’s high time” that the intergovernmental body had a woman at the helm, adding that there are “many distinguished, motivated women leaders who can really change this world.”

Ban’s comments come after Malcolm Turnbull recently poured petrol on Kevin Rudd’s ambitions for the job, paused, stared deep into his predecessor’s eyes, and then flicked his cigarette through the air, setting them aflame.

Since the United Nations was established in 1945 there have been eight secretary-generals, all of whom have been male. There are currently 11 candidates in the race to succeed Ban, five of whom are women. Among the female candidates are Bulgarian-born UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova, former Moldovan foreign minister Natalia Gherman and former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark.

Traditionally the post has been rotated by global region, with Eastern Europe arguing that it’s their turn to get someone in the hot seat.

Ban’s term comes to an end on December 31. He stressed that the final decision on his replacement was not up to him, saying that a female leader was his ” humble suggestion, but that’s up to the member states.”

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h/t New York Times