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Calls grow for first female UN chief in 80 years
World leaders emphasize gender equality as the UN seeks its first female Secretary-General in 2026, with Latin America and the Caribbean strongly represented, diplomats said.
On September 23, 2025, delegates at the 80th General Assembly intensified calls for a woman to assume the UN's top job as Antonio Guterres nears the end of his second term at the end of 2026.
Despite 80-year UN history, only five women have held the General Assembly presidency, and the organization has never had a female secretary-general, Slovenia's President Natasa Pirc Musar said.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric urged support for a female candidate, recommending Michelle Bachelet, Chile's first female president who led UN Women and served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The selection process involves the 15-member Security Council, and leaders urged ambitious criteria, a clear timeline, and a greater General Assembly role amid credibility concerns.
Regional leaders urged that 'Our region has the diversity, capacity and experience to be able to raise a strong voice for peace, climate justice, human rights, and sustainable development,' said Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, adding 'I am fully convinced that the time has come for a woman to take up the post.