Women leaders from all regions and backgrounds gathered in Madrid last week (29-30 January) to advocate for a gender-equal international system and to mobilise for the appointment of the UN’s first woman Secretary-General. The meeting was convened by GWL Voices - an organization of women leaders committed to women’s equal leadership in the multilateral system.
“Women’s leadership is not symbolic, it is a necessary condition for legitimate, effective multilateralism” explained Susana Malcorra, the President and Co-Founder of GWL Voices and former candidate for UN Secretary-General, during her opening remarks. This served as a persistent theme throughout the conference and reinforces 1 for 8 Billion’s briefing on the requirements for an effective Secretary-General, released in December 2025.
The sentiment was reinforced by several of Spain’s most senior representatives. H.M. The King of Spain Felipe VI said “we need to go further and faster” on women’s participation in multilateralism while the Minister of Equality Ana Redondo used her keynote speech to state emphatically that "we need a feminist secretary general who believes in equal rights for men and women. For all men and women on Earth". In a rallying speech the Minister said that we cannot wait for the future without discrimination to happen “we must construct the future”.
In his remarks, Spain’s President Pedro Sánchez insisted that feminism and multilateralism go hand in hand, explaining that: “the next election for the Secretary-General is not just another formality. It is a political signal; it is a political message that we must send as an international community regarding what values we want the 21st-century multilateral system to embody. Spain, of course, supports that the next person at the helm of the United Nations system, the next person at the head of the United Nations Secretariat-General, should finally be a woman. And if I may, let it be a woman from Latin America and the Caribbean. This is a commitment to the integrity of the system; it is a commitment to recognizing that global leadership must resemble the real world. After eighty years, it is about time that the United Nations finally not only has a memory but also listens and responds to what 21st-century society actually demands.”
Slovenia’s President, Pirc Musar, also addressed the meeting, stressing that the marginalisation of women in society must come to an end: “We are living in a time of multiple crises, so let us give the ‘other half of humanity’ a genuine opportunity. Perhaps ‘she’ will surprise us all with her resilience, innovative problem-solving and deeply human empathy. This is what our world and our United Nations need more than ever” the President noted.
1 for 8 Billion was in Madrid to listen, to advocate for our campaign recommendations for an open, transparent and accountable SG selection process and to support the broad call for a feminist woman to lead the UN.
Commenting on the event, 1 for 8 Billion’s advocacy lead Ben Donaldson said: “In the last few months the tone has changed. The slow start to the nominations phase and the continued anti-rights agenda of the United States and one or two others has sharpened minds. Spain and Slovenia have both used this forum to raise their game on this issue and stand as emphatic and outspoken advocates for the imperative to select a woman SG with a pro-equality agenda”
Maria Noel Leoni, Campaign Director at GQUAL Campaign and a steering committee member of 1 for 8 Billion said: “We are at a historic crossroads. As cooperation based on shared rules and values is increasingly questioned, hard-fought gains in multilateralism, international law, and gender equality are at risk. What emerged in Madrid, however, was not resignation, but resolve: this moment of fracture is also a moment of urgent possibility - one that demands rebuilding the legitimacy, relevance, and trust of global governance with audacity, starting with women’s equal leadership and with equality placed firmly at the center of the global agenda. Choosing a woman Secretary-General committed to multilateralism, international law, and equality, would be the clearest signal that the international community is ready to rebuild rather than retreat.”
Jane Kinninmont, CEO of UNA-UK and a steering committee member of 1 for 8 Billion, said: “It was inspiring to see the talent and experience represented here from women who have worked in war zones and complex emergencies around the world, discussing how the UN needs to be transformed for a changing world - with the principles of peace, equality and justice firmly embedded at the heart of all it does. The next Secretary General has a gargantuan task and will need deep diplomatic, peacebuilding and negotiation skills to navigate this era of global transition. The good news is that a wealth of women from across the world have exactly what it takes to do this job incredibly well.”
The GWL Voices meeting also featured the launch of a new report: Women in Multilateralism 2026, which provides exclusive data on women’s leadership in global governance. This fourth edition features a comprehensive analysis of all official candidates for UN Secretary-General since 1945, together with data on gender parity across 62 major multilateral organizations.
Image: GWL Voices founders Irina Bokova, Helen Clark and Susana Malcorra flanked by 1 for 8 Billion team members