One of the stark realities highlighted at the latest UN General Assembly was the underrepresentation of women leaders. Out of 193 countries, only 20 women addressed the General Assembly, an unsettling statistic in an era where gender parity is a global priority. Despite increasing calls for equal representation, systemic barriers continue to prevent capable women from accessing leadership positions. FRANCE 24's Jennie Shin speaks to Susana Malcorra, president & co-founder of GWL Voices.
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00:00The late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said that women belong in all
00:08places where decisions are being made. It's a quote that of course rings true but does
00:13not quite reflect the reality of the world today. A disproportionate number of men hold
00:18positions of power, a discrepancy that is well present in every aspect of society as
00:23well. It's also the case for the largest and most powerful intergovernmental organization
00:28in the world, the United Nations, which has never had a female secretary general in its
00:33almost 80 years of history. Well, to discuss the future of female leadership and global
00:37governance in politics, I'm pleased to welcome Susanna Melcora. She's the president and co-founder
00:44of GWL Voices for Change and Inclusion. She's also held a number of senior positions at
00:49the United Nations, including the position of chief of staff and of the former secretary
00:53general, Ban Ki-moon. Such a pleasure to have you with us. Thank you so much for joining
00:56us here on France 24. First of all, I'd like to begin by asking you what led you to co-launch
01:03this initiative, GWL, the Group of Women Leaders, and what is its vision to shift towards a
01:08world in which women are given more opportunities? Thank you for having me. And, you know, we
01:13are three co-founders. It's Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand and former administrator
01:20of UNDP, Irina Bokova, former director general of UNESCO, I'm sure you know her, and myself.
01:25The three of us have something in common. We competed to be secretary general last time
01:30around in 2016. It was seven women who competed, six men, 13 in total. And of course, although
01:37everybody was saying after 70 years that it was going to be a woman, here we are, we have
01:43Antonio Guterres, another man, as secretary general. So after that, we decided that we
01:48were going to work on two issues that we care about. One of them was the strengthening of
01:54the multilateral system, global governance, global issues. But to do that from the lens
01:59of women, only from the lens of women, that women's perspective, and to really rally for
02:05stronger leadership in the case of the system. So that's why we are here and that's why we
02:11are advocating for more women in power positions. Now, the UN has never had a female secretary
02:18general. There have, you know, been serious female contenders in the past, as you just
02:22mentioned yourself and the former New Zealand Prime Minister, Helen Clark, as well. You've
02:26said in the past that having a female leader at the helm is not just symbolism, but it's
02:30also of vital importance to the United Nations. So why does the UN need a female-led future,
02:36in your opinion? Well, first of all, the charter of the United Nations starts with we the peoples.
02:42And the peoples are men and women. We women are more than 50% of the peoples. So after
02:4880 years is a high time for a woman to lead. On top of that, the UN needs energising. And
02:56it's our view that having a woman has a strong symbolism for the peoples of the world that
03:02something is changing, that there is something new at the top, at the helm. And on top of
03:08that is a moment where the issues are interconnected. The issues are very, very interlinked. They
03:15are complex. And we believe that a woman's perspective can bring a different approach
03:21to solutions that are so badly needed. Now, many studies have shown how women and girls
03:27are, you know, disproportionately affected by the critical issues facing the world today,
03:31you know, like climate change, conflict and wealth inequality. So in the face of all this,
03:37what can women in such a leadership position, like the leader of the United Nations, do
03:42differently? Well, first of all, this is a task that is not performed by just one person.
03:49So we need a group of people rallying to solve all these issues. But having a woman that
03:54leads the United Nations that represents a symbol of the United Nations with a new approach
04:02to the issues, having a woman that normally reads things from different angles, that adds
04:08different perspectives, that brings solutions that sometimes, particularly in the space
04:13of peace and security, are too manlike, is something that provides an opportunity. And
04:20we have gotten here after 80 years of men leading. So maybe it's a chance for a woman
04:25to show that things can be done differently. Now, you've said also in the past that, you
04:30know, gender equality is progress for all. Can you expand on what this means? Why gender
04:35equality, you know, translates to, you know, progress for all, not just women, but men
04:40and the world in general? Well, first of all, statistics shows that, and studies shows that
04:45women, if women have full participation in all areas of society, the GDP of the world
04:52will grow in significant numbers. So that means that this is not a zero-sum game. It's
04:58an opportunity for all of us to grow and to expand. Second, the fact that you have
05:05women there, again, will seek solutions that are opportunities for all. That's for sure.
05:12That's the approach that women have in team building and problem solving. So no question,
05:18from an economic standpoint, from a development standpoint, from a peace and security standpoint,
05:24we can bring to the table, a table that will have men and women, not only women, of course,
05:31a different way to address the issues. And it's fair to say that, you know, political
05:36participation is key to equality. We're seeing that, you know, in Iran, there's a huge disparity
05:43in how women are treated. You know, they're treated like second-class citizens. And in
05:47Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, they're being essentially erased. You know, having yourself
05:53having held senior positions in the United Nations, how do you think these issues could
05:58be addressed by a female at the helm? Well, no question. Seeing these situations happen
06:06throughout the world, you mentioned a couple of examples, but we can go and show examples
06:11throughout the world. And to a certain extent, seeing that there is a pushback that takes
06:17women back even farther, having a woman there will address the question with a different
06:27type of solution seeking, embracing the fact that women do make a difference. Women cannot
06:36be silenced. Women's rights are human rights. Remember, next year is the 30th anniversary of
06:43Beijing. We need to go back and look into the commitments made and say, it's time for them to
06:50be delivered. And it's time for women to deliver to their societies and to themselves. That's what
06:56is needed. And how can, you know, gender equality and positions of power like the UN Secretary
07:02General have an impact on global peace and security in general, the big picture? Well,
07:07global peace and security is something that, again, cannot be addressed by the Secretary
07:13General herself. But the Secretary General can build bridges, can seek solutions, can find
07:23quiet ways to approach different leaders to seek solutions that probably are not very man-like,
07:33but precisely for that reason may yield different results. So it's the question of
07:40have the society having the chance to do things in a different manner and to do things with the
07:46other half of society. Thank you so much, Susana Molcora. We appreciate very much your time in
07:52being here and for your insights. It's very interesting. Thank you very much for being here.
07:57Are you watching?