UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations formally kicked off the race for the next secretary-general on Tuesday and the world body’s 193 members were encouraged to consider putting forward a woman for the top job that has been held by men for the past 70 years.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a former South Korean foreign minister, is due to step down at the end of 2016 after serving two five-year terms. The job customarily rotates between regions, with Eastern Europe next on the list.
The 15-member Security Council, including veto powers China, Russia, the US, Britain and France, traditionally considers an undisclosed list behind closed doors and recommends a candidate to be elected by the General Assembly.
In a bid to boost transparency, the presidents of the Security Council and the General Assembly ? US Ambassador Samantha Power and Mogens Lykketoft of Denmark ? sent a letter on Tuesday to UN member states to begin the search for Mr Ban’s replacement by outlining the process and soliciting candidates.
“Convinced of the need to guarantee equal opportunities for women and men in gaining access to senior decision-making positions, Member States are encouraged to consider presenting women, as well as men, as candidates,” they wrote.
The General Assembly requested such a letter be sent when it adopted a resolution on the issue in September.
“This fires the starting gun for the race to be the next secretary-general,” said British UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, who helped draft the letter, adding that it brought gender equality, transparency and clarity to the process.
The letter simply notes “the regional diversity in the selection of previous Secretaries-General.”
UN officials say they hope a list of candidates will be completed by March.
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