The United Nations exists at a vital point in its development. The organisation stands at a critical point because Secretary-General António Guterres will soon finish his term, while the organisation needs to resolve its built-in conflicts. 

For nearly eight decades, the UN has championed gender equality as a fundamental tenet of human rights and development; nevertheless, its highest office has remained exclusively male. The gap between what the UN stands for and what it does creates a credibility crisis that worsens because of deteriorating global governance systems. The appointment of a female Secretary-General would represent progress because it would align the UN leadership structure with its declared values. The United Nations now has a critical chance to advance gender equality through selecting its first female Secretary-General who will break the tradition of male leadership and demonstrate its dedication to universal participation in global decision-making. 

The Secretary-General position remains empty of female candidates because of established discriminatory practices. Since 1945, nine different men from different parts of the world have held this position, although numerous highly qualified women who have headed UN agencies and peacekeeping missions and national governments have been excluded from consideration. The pattern shows an existing global system problem because international system leadership positions emerge from political agreements instead of performance-based selection or representative participation. The United Nations faces an intense credibility crisis regarding gender equality because it demands member states to advance women’s empowerment in political and business sectors and civil society, yet the organisation does not apply this principle to its leadership positions. The institution........

© Eurasia Review