Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Senator Pholile Shakantu has called on the United Nations to appoint its first-ever female Secretary-General.
The minister said the global body must lead by example in advancing gender equality. Speaking during the 3rd Kingdom of Eswatini-European Union Partnership Dialogue held at the Hilton Hotel in Mbabane on Friday, Shakantu said she was concerned about the continued gender imbalance within the UN system.
“I am personally concerned about the gender imbalance within the UN system. I believe this time it will be a time for a female SG.
There have been nine Secretaries-General and all have been men,” she said. She added that the UN must set an example to the world by appointing a woman to the top post when the term of current Secretary-General António Guterres ends in December 2026.
No woman has ever served as United Nations Secretary-General since the establishment of the organisation in 1945.
All nine official officeholders have been men, namely Trygve Lie of Norway, Dag Hammarskjöld of Sweden, U Thant of Myanmar, Kurt Waldheim of Austria, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru, Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt, Kofi Annan of Ghana, Ban Ki-moon of South Korea and the current Secretary-General António Guterres of Portugal.
The 2026 UN Secretary-General selection process is currently underway, with the successful candidate expected to assume office on January 1, 2027.The race currently features four formal candidates who recently participated in public hearings at the UN headquarters.
They are former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi of Argentina, UN Conference on Trade and Development Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, and former Senegalese President Macky Sall.
Shakantu’s remarks come amid growing international calls for the UN to break with tradition and appoint a woman to lead the world body for the first time in its history.
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