At 70, it is about time the United Nations has a woman Secretary General, says the woman who could become the first female UN chief, Irina Bokova.
“Yes, I think so, it is an idea whose time has come,” Ms. Bokova, who has been nominated Bulgaria’s official candidate, told The Hindu in an >exclusive interview .
Ms. Bokova, who is the Director-General of UNESCO, the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural organisation, said it was up to her country’s government to take forward her campaign for the post, once the process begins next year.
Focus on reforms
“The procedure is yet to start officially, and for the moment I am totally focussed on UNESCO and my work here. There’s so much work to be done and I feel my campaign is my work at UNESCO. Let's see for next year how the process (for UNSG) goes, and my government will take the next steps for this,” Ms. Bokova said over telephone from Paris, adding that her current focus was on reforming UN systems, as well as dealing with “the political challenges for the world, youth radicalisation and extremism, and destruction of heritage by IS and other groups.”
Ms. Bokova’s candidature, and the possible candidature of other women like former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has sparked off several campaigns to lobby for a woman being appointed to the UN’s top job, with Twitter hashtags like #She4SG to promote the idea. Inside the UN too, there is a growing demand for world body’s “glass ceiling” to be broken, says Lakshmi Puri, the deputy Executive Director of UN Women. “The UN has just adopted a strong commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 (SDGs) and how better to show that commitment than to have a woman to lead the mission,” she told The Hindu . According to the UN Women agency, only 24.6 per cent of the highest positions at the UN have been filled by women.
Too early to take a call, says India There have been eight men as UNSG so far, and no women. Ms. Bokova would also score high as an East European candidate, a region that has never been represented by a UNSG either. As a result, most countries have agreed that the next UNSG should belong to an East European country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Ms. Bokova when he spoke at UNESCO in Paris during his visit earlier this year. She also met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj last year. However, when asked about India’s choice, the MEA said it was “too early to take a call” on how India would vote, as all the candidates have not been announced yet. So far, only Ms. Bokova, and former Slovenian President Danilo Turk, are the officially announced candidates.
Diplomats say India would also want the next UNSG to commit oneself to UN reform, especially the expansion of the UN Security Council. India has been pursuing a permanent seat on the Council. While Ms. Bokova did not reply to a specific question on India’s demand, she said she was “following all discussions on UN reforms” and was a “firm believer” in the UN. “I think India plays a hugely important role at the UN. India is a continent in itself….I think India’s contributions are critical,” Ms. Bokova said and added that recent campaigns by India for International Yoga Day and nominating Varanasi and Jaipur for the “creative cities network” were very prominent on UNESCO’s agenda.
With her experience at UNESCO, and regional origins Ms. Bokova would clearly be a frontrunner for the race. However, experts warn that the battle would be difficult for any contender given the deep divide within UN Security Council, with Russia and China ranged against US, UK and France, and the choice for the UNSG, could be vetoed by any of them. Normally, there is no direct election for the post, as the UNSC forwards its choice to the UN General Assembly after a consensus. However, given the divides, some countries are suggesting that the UN Security Council forward not one but two names to the UNGA in 2016, and allow the UNGA to vote. “What I can say is that I am a firm believer in the UN and in multilateralism. With globalisation and connectivity, the UN’s role is critical, whether you see the post-2015 agenda or conflict, UN has a critical role,” she said.
Click >here to read the full text of the interview.
