Africa: Statement by the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) Calling for the Selection and Appointment of the First…

On 31st December, 2026 the second term of the current United Nations Secretary General will end - the ninth Secretary General and the ninth man to hold that position.

This means that in 81 years, no woman has been selected and appointed, in spite of the Organization calling for its member states to dismantle barriers to gender equity and the considerable gains made by women in accessing the highest levels of leadership elsewhere. The African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), a mobilizing and advocacy platform launched in 2017 in partnership with the African Union and the United Nations, is calling for this to end and for a woman to be selected as the 10th Secretary General.

It is time to end this historical inequity. The record is clear, there is ample evidence to show that women’s leadership, at several critical times and in other places, has often helped to restore credibility, relevance and authority. The United Nations is at such a critical time – indispensable but with an erosion of confidence in its ability to lead, to deepen institutional and financial reform and to restore trust in multilateralism. Previous efforts at reform have often been episodic and sidetracked by the urgent need for crisis management.

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Member states have sometimes contributed to this situation, often with well-intentioned decisions – they must now support the continuing reform needed, including a fast track for the Inter-Governmental Negotiations framework. Women are ready and have been for some time. It is time now to select a woman with a full and clear-eyed understanding of the current geo-political context and the United Nations as it is now and the possibilities of what it could be.

She must have demonstrated inclusiveness, integrity and courage, experience in leadership in multilateral institutions, the ability to fast track deepened reform and to communicate a clear vision for the United Nations. That vision should retain the best of what the United Nations is, resolve the constraining complexities of agency fragmentation, overlap of mandates and eliminate administrative redundancies.

We urge a fair and transparent process and wish all involved in the selection process, discernment and wisdom.