UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark said yesterday she would campaign to be the next UN secretary-general, pledging to improve transparency and touting her leadership experience in a bid to become the first woman to head the world body.
New Zealand submitted a letter yesterday to the president of the 193-member General Assembly formally nominating Clark, who heads the UN Development Programme, as a candidate to succeed Ban Ki-moon as secretary-general.
Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, will step down at the end of 2016 after two five-year terms. The top job at the United Nations has always been held by a man, since the body’s inception 70 years ago, and there is a strong push for a woman to be elected.
“I’m seeking election on the basis of the skills that I have, and I would expect in the 21st century to be given equal consideration to any male applicant,” Clark, New Zealand prime minister from 1999 to 2008, told Reuters in an interview.
At least 53 countries, led by Colombia, want a female secretary-general. Several civil society groups are also lobbying for a woman to lead the organization.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key said Clark has the right mix of skills and experience for the job.
