The United Nations would create a new direction through its established methods by selecting a female Secretary-General to replace António Guterres, but would need to overcome barriers to convert symbolic progress into actual organisational changes.
The UN has maintained male leadership since its founding in 1945, which has reinforced the notion that diplomatic work and international governance should be reserved for men. A woman who reaches the top position at the UN would establish gender equality while showing the organisation how diverse leadership improves its peacebuilding and humanitarian work and climate management performance. The appointment of a woman to lead the UN would establish a groundbreaking achievement while demonstrating the ability of gender-sensitive leadership to tackle financial challenges and institutional barriers, and discriminatory systems for generating sustainable global changes.
Asian Woman Leadership 