You can show it in a picture, or you can draw it in a graph, but the data remain the same. The number of women in leadership positions at the United Nations and other multilateral organizations remains a dismal statistic.
That’s the major takeaway — rendered with eye-catching clarity — from GWL Voices in its third annual “Women in Multilateralism” report, and the visual and numerical evidence is stark and irrefutable.
GWL Voices is largely known for its #MadamSecretaryGeneral and Rotation for Equality campaigns, focusing on the UN secretary-general and president of the General Assembly roles, respectively. All 10 UN leaders have been men, and the General Assembly presidency has been filled by a woman only four times out of an astonishing 81, though a woman is likely to be the fifth as of September.
But the whole multilateral system — including the UN itself — remains rife with inequality.
“In all, 20 UN General Assemblies,” the report asserts, “have taken place without the participation of any female ambassadors.” In fact, out of 193 member countries, 73 have never appointed a woman as permanent representative, with another 64 having chosen to do so only once.
And while the percentage of international organizations with women in charge rose to 44 percent last year from 41 percent in 2023, there are still 19 major multilateral bodies that have never been run by a woman.
In February, PassBlue spoke to Susana Malcorra, a co-founder and president of GWL (Global Women Leaders) Voices, launched in 2019 and now a network of 76 women who have held global leadership positions in various fields, organizations and governments worldwide.
“It’s a moment where we need to have a different approach in the leadership of the United Nations,” she said, “and I am persuaded that we will be able to get the right woman to do it.”
Malcorra herself was a candidate for the UN’s top job in 2016, after holding senior positions, including as chief of staff and as under-secretary-general for Field Support and becoming foreign minister under Argentina President Mauricio Macri.
When asked if she would enter the running again UN secretary-general, she says that her role now is advocacy for GWL Voices, even as her name continues to appear on lists of eligible women.
In her current job, she relies on her skills as “a natural networker” to succeed, a capacity she honed as an under-secretary-general to Ban Ki-moon. “You learn to work with others, you learn to persuade, you learn to make your case,” she said, “and that drove me to where I am.”
Those skills will become ever more necessary as, with President Trump in power, US support for a process that deliberately foregrounds women candidates may disappear.
The interview has been edited and condensed for length and flow.
PassBlue: With the UN secretary-general selection process slated to begin this fall and concluding a year later, let’s start with the struggle to get a woman into that role. In the most general sense, do you feel like the time has come?
Susana Malcorra: The charter of the United Nations says, “we the peoples.” And more than half the people are women. We have never been represented. So, there is a historic reason to say the time has come. But there is a deeper analysis that merits consideration. With the complexity in the world, there is a need for somebody who can approach things from a different perspective. That makes the case for a woman to be seriously considered, because we do bring a different approach. It’s not just who we are. It’s how we approach negotiations. How we make bridges to other parties to find solutions to complex problems. And how good we are at managing in general terms, which is something badly required for the institution.
PB: The Security Council is the first decision-maker in the process to select the next SG, so P5 buy-in is critical. The US, France and Britain have generally supported the priority to have a woman in the SG seat, though it is totally unclear what the latest US position may be on the matter. But to start, how are you engaging with China and Russia on it?
SM: We haven’t yet, but we will. Timing is essential. You don’t want to do things too early. You don’t want to do them too late. I think this is the year to build those conversations informally. And then get into 2026 with a stronger sense of where each of the P5 stands. Understanding what they are looking for helps also figure out the best profiles of candidates that could meet a middle ground. And of course the current geopolitical environment is a big concern because so far it hasn’t been conducive to agreeing. And with the Trump administration, dynamics may change.
PB: Are you concerned about Trump-led opposition to anything that hints at diversity, equity and inclusion?
SM: The designated new ambassador [Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-NY] has yet to arrive in New York, so I don’t know how they stand. There is broad political support within the UN for the future election of the secretary-general and for encouraging member states to submit names of women candidates. We believe the fact that the US has appointed yet another woman permanent representative is a positive sign. And once we engage with their delegation, we shall see.
PB: Are there structural issues at the UN that make your efforts to have a woman lead the organization harder?
SM: First, it’s very important to have an open, public, exposed process. And that was the case in 2016. Mogens Lykketoft [of Denmark] did an excellent job as the president of the General Assembly, setting a process that was very open. But the thing he failed to achieve was to get more than one candidate from the Security Council, which would have given the General Assembly, a more democratic body, more options and choice [instead of an up-down vote on one candidate]. The Security Council did not accept that. Their reading of the language in the Charter is that they should provide only one candidate. But I don’t believe the language precludes that if the Security Council is satisfied with more than one person, more candidates could be put forward.
In the 80th session of the General Assembly, there will be a woman in the presidency role. Helga Maria Schmid, the former secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe [OSCE], is a very strong, passionate advocate for the rights of women. And she will steer a process that hopefully, after so much work, will yield a woman as secretary-general in the 2027-31 term.
PB: What is the role of GWL Voices in this process? Will the group sponsor particular candidates? Or will you stay more generally supportive of the principle of having a woman?
SM: We are a nonpartisan institution. So, we are behind the principle. As such, we are going to advocate for the principle to be implemented. For the time being, we are not planning to endorse any particular candidate. We just hope to have many good candidates. The bench is deep. Having said that, as time passes and things evolve and when things get narrower, we may decide to take a more assertive position.
PB: In a situation where there’s clearly one candidate who could do well, would it be tempting to help that person so that the goal is achieved.
SM: We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
PB: What other areas are you focusing on in the UN system regarding gender equality?
SM: We focus on every single election or selection process that is coming our way. And we start early on to advocate and speak with people and make sure that there are women candidates. And we look at member states. In our third edition of the Women in Multilateralism report [unveiled on March 10, during the annual conference of the UN’s Committee on the Status of Women], there is a specific chapter dedicated to representation of member states in the General Assembly. We look at how they line up with what is said and what is actually done, with a focus on historic representation. And of course we speak up about delegations at the UN. We came out loud and clear during UNGA79, about how poorly women were represented.
PB: Are there any examples you’d want to bring up about women’s representation elsewhere in the multilateral system?
SM: Actually, there are two examples outside of the UN that we are working on. One is the OAS, the Organization of American States. The secretary-general is changing, and the election process is taking place. And we are advocating for a woman to get the post — I have to say, so far without much success, because there are only two male candidates. The other one is the African Bank for Development, which is also going through an election process. There is one woman candidate, from South Africa, and we feel very strongly that she should be seriously considered, particularly because she took a very principled decision — which to me is to be valued — and she quit her job within the bank to run. So, not only do we work within the UN system, but within the multilateral system at large, including the regional organizations.
PB: What drives your approach in the advocacy you do for women?
SM: I always say we are not activists. We are influencers. Essentially, we do advocacy. The work is clearly in the hands of member states. But we have this conviction that the more you speak about it and the more you raise the question, it may make institutions uncomfortable enough to review their own practices.
We welcome your comments on this article. What are your thoughts on the value of having a woman SG?
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Maria Luisa Gambale, a graduate of Harvard University, lives in New York City. In addition to writing, she produces film and media projects and is director of the 2011 film “Sarabah,” about the Senegalese rapper-activist Sister Fa. She has produced and directed video for National Geographic, ABC News, The New York Times and Fusion Network. Gambale’s work in all media can be viewed at www.veradonnafilms.com.
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Great and insightful discussion
Very good article. You have a small omission in the text though.
In the part where you mention
“In the 80th session of the General Assembly, there will be a woman in the presidency role. Helga Maria Schmid, the former secretary of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe [OSCE]…”
you probably wanted to say “Secretary General”
“In the 80th session of the General Assembly, there will be a woman in the presidency role. Helga Maria Schmid, the former Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe [OSCE]…”
Thank you.