UNA-UK is delighted to join the steering committee of the 1 for 8 Billion campaign. Having co-founded the campaign’s previous iteration, 1 for 7 Billion, UNA-UK looks forward to continuing to advocate for a fair, open and inclusive process to appoint a feminist woman as UN Secretary-General, and to work closely with fellow members of the Steering Committe: CIVICUS, Plataforma CIPÓ, Southern Voice and WomanSG.
On 20 September, on the sidelines of the Summit of the Future, UNA-UK helped launch the 1 for 8 Billion campaign’s policy platform. An all-star panel of women leaders joined the event to call for a fair, open, inclusive, and transformative Secretary-General selection process and for member states to make history by appointing the first woman to lead the 80 year old institution.
1 for 8 Billion co-founder, Natalie Samarasinghe moderated the discussion with H.E Maritza Chan-Valverde, Ambassador of Costa Rica to the UN, Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and member of the Elders, Susana Malcorra, President and Founder of GWL Voices, and Shamala Kandiah Thompson, Executive Director of Security Council Report.
Building on the achievements of 2016, the 1 for 8 Billion policy platform “A fair and inclusive process to appoint the next UN Secretary-General” sets out the campaign’s policy recommendations for the upcoming selection process. It includes five policies member states should adopt to ensure a level playing field for candidates from all around the world. You can read the full recommendations here.
On 4 November the UN General Assembly held its opening discussion on the revitalization of the General Assembly, including the issue of the selection process for the next Secretary-General. The most prominent issue was women’s representation in UN leadership positions, with many states using the opportunity to raise the need to appoint a woman Secretary-General. Over the next year, the 1 for 8 Billion campaign will be mapping member state’s support for a woman Secretary-General as the selection process unfolds.
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If your organisation supports these basic principles for a fair selection process, we urge you to join the 1 for 8 Billion movement. You can sign up as an NGO supporter of the campaign here.
