Vuk Jeremic

• October 20, 2016

Wonder Woman is not so wonderful in the eyes of hundreds of United Nations staff members around the world. Earlier this week, a petition began circulating among personnel to ask their boss, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, to rescind the choice of the cartoon character, whose main uniform is a bustier and high heels, as an …

Gender Violence, SDGs, Women

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UN’s Newest Vote to Pick the Next Secretary-General? Guterres Wins Again

Dulcie Leimbach

• September 26, 2016

António Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal who most recently was the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, once more dominated the latest straw poll held by the UN Security Council on selecting the next secretary-general. The five-year term starts Jan. 1, 2017, when Ban Ki-moon, a Korean, leaves office. The fifth poll, …

Secretary-General

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Guterres Leads Latest Poll for UN Secretary-General Again, but It May Not Matter

Laura E. Kirkpatrick

• September 9, 2016

The latest Security Council straw poll pointing to the selection of the next secretary-general of the United Nations happened on Sept. 9, with the results leaving António Guterres of Portugal still the front-runner ever since the informal, anonymous balloting began in the Security Council in July. The latest poll is the fourth such vote; …

Secretary-General, Security Council, US-UN Relations, Women

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Only 1 Woman in Top-3 Winners Again in UN Secretary-General Vote

Lori Silberman Brauner

• August 5, 2016

With 11 candidates left in the race this year for United Nations secretary-general, the Security Council held its second straw poll on Aug. 5, showing a slight shift in levels of support by the council’s 15 members, but placing António Guterres of Portugal at the top again. Yet once more, only one woman, this …

Secretary-General

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Getting to Know the UN Secretary-General Candidates Better: A Wrap-Up of Two New York Forums

Laura E. Kirkpatrick

• July 14, 2016

When it comes to the United Nations, the word “debate” takes on a civilized bearing, with no relation to heated contests among many sides. Over two nights this week at different settings in New York, UN secretary-general candidates campaigning to fill the shoes of Ban Ki-moon in January 2017 debated publicly. One event, held …

Secretary-General

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Less Politics and More Transparency: What New Leadership Will Mean for the UN

Barbara Crossette

• July 6, 2016

In a year when people who follow the United Nations are focusing on the election of the next secretary-general, the center of early action in that election has moved for the first time in history from the secretive deliberations of the Security Council to an unprecedented open campaign in the General Assembly, which normally …

General Assembly, Secretary-General, UN Diplomats

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WORLDVIEWS

A Woman, a Bombast and a Socialist: The UN and US Elections

Laura E. Kirkpatrick

• June 20, 2016

The major contenders for one of the highest public offices in the world include the first possible female candidate for the position; a slightly aggressive (and that’s what his friends say about him) surprise candidate; and a socialist who’s not really supposed to be there but has garnered enough support to possibly be a …

Secretary-General, WORLDVIEWS

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New Candidates for Secretary-General Make Their Cases at the UN

Barbara Crossette

• June 7, 2016

The field of nine candidates campaigning formally to become the next United Nations secretary-general grew by two on June 7, when Miroslav Lajcak, Slovakia’s foreign minister, and Susana Malcorra, who holds the same position in Argentina, spoke in public sessions lasting more than two hours each, taking questions from UN member delegates and civil …

Secretary-General

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The Field Grows and Shifts in the Race for UN Secretary-General

Barbara Crossette

• June 1, 2016

The second crop of campaigners making a pitch to replace Ban Ki-moon in January is now being assembled, and it looks like the first declared candidate on the list may well shake up the race. She is Susana Malcorra, Argentina’s foreign minister and a well-respected, internationally known former United Nations official. The next round …

General Assembly, Secretary-General, Security Council, Women

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Another First for Candidates for UN Secretary-General? Tweeting

Laura E. Kirkpatrick

• April 19, 2016

This is not your grandfather’s election cycle. Will this be the year a woman is elected to one of the highest political positions in the world? What’s up with the surprise candidate gaining unexpected momentum? Can any candidate truly blend the need for the best-qualified administration with gender parity? It is unequivocal that this …

Secretary-General

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A UN First After 70 Years: Open Campaigning for Secretary-General

Barbara Crossette

• April 17, 2016

It was a week unprecedented in the history of the United Nations. From April 12 to 14, nine candidates for the office of secretary-general were put on a public stage in front of the world to make their cases as to why they should be elected to follow Ban-Ki-moon when his term ends this …

Secretary-General

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Will the Next Secretary-General Come From Eastern Europe?

Richard Gowan

• April 4, 2013

Last week, former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband announced plans to move to New York to head the International Rescue Committee, a leading humanitarian organization. In his new position, Miliband is likely to be a powerful voice in debates over crises such as that in Syria. His decision may have inspired some envy at …

General Assembly, Secretary-General, WORLDVIEWS

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Obama to Tell UN That Washington Values Engagement

Barbara Crossette

• September 21, 2012

President Barack Obama, criticized in an intense election campaign for not being tough enough with the rest of the world, is expected to tell fellow leaders next week why his administration thinks that cooperative action, not bluster or the flaunting of power, is a better policy for meeting the crises of this century. The …