With efforts towards gender equality stalling, voting in a first female head of the UN would provide powerful representation for half the world’s population — and be good for all of it

Why it’s time the United Nations is led by a woman

With efforts towards gender equality stalling, voting in a first female head of the UN would provide powerful representation for half the world’s population — and be good for all of it

Thirty years ago, the world saw an event that would sadly be hard to envision today: representatives from 189 countries endorsing a plan to improve the lives of women across the world. The event was the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, in Beijing in September 1995. It was attended by almost 50,000 delegates, mostly women. The Beijing Declaration, as it came to be known, recognized that gender equality is not only a human right, but also transforms societies and enriches all lives.

Huge strides have been made since 1995. Women’s access to education and reproductive health care has expanded. Maternal mortality has fallen, from 339 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 223 in 2020. The number of countries with laws that prohibit gender-based discrimination in employment has nearly trebled since 1995, to 162 as of 2024. The proportion of women in parliaments has more than doubled in the same period, although as of 2024, 113 countries have still never had a woman serve as head of state or government, according to a report published by UN Women (see go.nature.com/3g7onoj), which was formed in 2010 in New York City as a source of funding and a driver of UN activities on gender equality.

The Beijing commitments also included a pledge to increase the number of women in research. Today, 70% of countries report on what they are doing to increase opportunities for girls and women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as digital skills and training, an increase from 59% in 2019. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, established by UN agencies in 2015 and held annually on 11 February, has helped towards that goal. In education more broadly, girls are now more likely than boys to complete secondary school in most regions (sub-Saharan Africa being a notable exception).

Since the Beijing conference, organizations and businesses of all shapes and sizes, along with UN organizations, have elected or appointed women to lead them. One study found that, as of 2020, 43 women have been at the helm of UN agencies¹.

There is, however, a glaring exception: since its founding in 1945, the UN itself has only ever been led by a man. A campaign has begun to elect a woman as UN secretary-general, to succeed António Guterres when his second term ends at the end of 2026. There are several women equipped to do the job and it’s time to hand the reins to one of them — which is why Nature fully endorses this movement.

The case for a woman to lead the UN is grounded in principles of equality and justice, and supported by scholarship. Peace agreements signed by women are more likely to last²; conflicts are settled more efficiently and equitably when women sit on both sides of the negotiating table³; and human-rights activists, including advocates for women’s rights, have been very effective⁴. Having a woman as UN secretary-general, as well as providing a role model, would make it more likely that the unique circumstances of women — such as being disproportionately affected by climate change⁵ and experiencing long-lasting effects from conflict — are factored into decision-making at the highest levels.

That decision-makers need to be reminded that women are disproportionately affected is one indication that progress itself remains a work in progress. Indeed, for the first time in decades, some things seem to be going backwards; the United States and elsewhere, reproductive rights are being rolled back.

Restoring the right of women and girls in Afghanistan to receive an education and be able to work seems to not be a priority for the international community. Digital technology brings with it new forms of violence against women and girls, and “anti-rights actors are actively undermining long-standing consensus on key women’s rights issues”, the UN Women report says. Since 2022, cases of conflict-related sexual violence have risen by 50%, with women and girls experiencing 95% of these crimes.

Almost one-quarter of country representatives to UN Women also reported that a backlash on gender equality is hampering implementation of the Beijing Declaration. At the annual meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York City last month, governments reaffirmed and updated the commitments made in Beijing — including that nations look at societal and economic problems through the lens of gender. However, the United States and Russia were among those expressing objections — a marked difference to their broadly positive contributions in 1995. US representative Jonathan Shrier criticized the declaration for lacking specific language on gender, arguing that “women are biologically female and men are biologically male”. He also used the opportunity to denounce the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

There are reports that UN Women is among the groups under pressure from the US administration to avoid terminology associated with diversity, equity and inclusion. The organization has said previously that it is committed to the “rights and equality of all people, including women in all their diversity, and all people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions and sex characteristics”.

Appointing a secretary-general is complex. The UN Security Council (dominated by its permanent members, the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom) must agree on a candidate, who is then put to a vote in the UN General Assembly. The situation will be further complicated by the fact that the Security Council today is intensely divided. That said, surely no country today can argue that no woman is qualified for the role.

We are not saying appoint a person solely because of their gender. Rather, we make this call to encourage UN member states to overcome the biases that often mean that the right person is overlooked. Appointing a woman would send a strong message that, 30 years on from the Beijing Declaration, the world’s commitment to gender equality is not going away — and that it benefits all people, everywhere.

Nature 640, 287-288 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-01008-z

This story originally appeared on: Nature - Author:furtherReadingSection