António Guterres, the incoming U.N. secretary-general, is going to appoint a woman from the “global south” to serve as his deputy-secretary general, his transition team’s spokesperson, Melissa Fleming, told Devex.
Guterres, who will take office at the beginning of the new year, will also insist on ensuring that women are equally represented to all high-level U.N. positions, including under-secretary generals and assistant-secretary generals — jobs that the secretary-general fills through political appointments.
“He is very well aware of the support behind women leadership in the U.N. and he is absolutely and totally committed to implementing, as fast as he possibly can, gender parity at all levels,” Fleming said.
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About the author
Amy Liebermanamylieberman
Amy Lieberman is the U.N. Correspondent for Devex. She covers the United Nations and reports on global development and politics. Amy previously worked as a freelance reporter, covering the environment, human rights, immigration, and health across the U.S. and in more than 10 countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Nepal, and Cambodia. Her coverage has appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, Slate, and the Los Angeles Times. A native New Yorker, Amy received her master’s degree in politics and government from Columbia’s School of Journalism.
