Mavic Cabrera Balleza, Ben Donaldson and Anne Marie Goetz write on what latest research shows about members states support for appointing a feminist woman as the next Secretary-General

1 for 8 Billion’s discussion paper, circulated to all member states, asks them to seize the last opportunity to implement reforms in the General Assembly before the next Secretary-General selection process begins later this year.

The 1 for 8 Billion Campaign is proud to welcome five new campaign partners. Our partners bring a diverse range of expertise and are vital for ensuring that voices from across the globe can contribute to shaping the UN Secretary-General's selection process in 2026.

First published in Opinio Juris. Natalie Samarasinghe, co-founder of 1 for 8 Billion, highlights how General Recommendation 40 (GR40) lays a strong foundation for making gender parity in leadership a legal requirement.

1 for 8 Billion welcomes the emphatic support of The Elders for the appointment of a woman UN Secretary-General.  The independent group of global leaders championed this position at the UN headquarters as heads of Government met in September 2024.

1 for 8 Billion is pleased to have joined over 200 organisations and prominent individuals urging members of the Organization of American States (OAS) to elect its first woman Secretary General in 2025.

The G20 Leaders' Declaration, signed in November 2024, includes significant commitments to further the appointment of women to senior positions within the UN. 1 for 8 BIllion will be monitoring how this translates to action in the UN General Assembly throughout 2025.

At the first General Assembly debate of the session on the selection process for the UN Secretary-General (SG) 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 - a central demand of the 1 for 8 Billion campaign.

The rights of women to participate in in international decision-making spaces has been strengthened with the adoption of important new guidance on women’s representation by CEDAW member states. The guidance makes it clear that women must have “equal and inclusive representation” in all decision-making systems and that, as a starting point, this requires no less than 50-50 parity between women and men.

On Friday 20 September the campaign launched its policy platform. 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, Susana Malcorra, President and Founder of GWL Voices, and Shamala Kandiah Thompson of Security Council Report. 

Today world leaders gathered at UN headquarters to adopt the Pact for the Future. 1 for 8 Billion welcomes the Pact for the Future’s commitment to run a transparent, inclusive selection process and its support for a woman Secretary-General.

1 for 8 BIlion’s policy platform calls on all states to only consider nominating women candidates for UN Secretary-General. Use our template letter to adapt and send to your government to ask them to support this call.

As part of an ongoing commitment by 1 for 8 Billion and its partners to increase knowledge and strengthen the robustness of the SG selection process, the United Nations Association - UK has published a detailed report looking at the scenario of an interruption to an SG’s tenure in office. 

As we gear up for another selection process we are going to put forward new and updated proposals - we'd like you to tell us what they should be! Please join this conversation and let us know how YOU think the world’s top diplomat should be chosen.