OTTAWA – Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says it’s time for a woman to lead the United Nations.
She is joining female foreign ministers from 14 countries in saying the next UN secretary-general, whose term will start in 2027, should be a woman.
The call comes at the end of a two-day meeting in Toronto with her Jamaican counterpart, Kamina Johnson Smith, and foreign ministers from countries including Ghana, Indonesia, Nepal and Romania.
The ministers also say there should be gender parity in the role of the president of the UN General Assembly – out of 72 terms only four women have held the position.
The meeting otherwise has focused on women’s participation in governance and issues like online harassment.
The gathering follows a 2018 meeting in Montreal, as well as informal discussions on the sidelines of various global summits.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.
