WHO WE ARE

AN OPEN LETTER

Dear young people around the world,

Since 1945, the United Nations has never been led by a woman Secretary-General. While 112 countries have already expressed support for a woman to lead the institution, and women are among the leading candidates, there remains a real possibility that the United Nations could once again be led by a man.

In total, nine people have held the office of UN Secretary-General (UNSG). Not one has been a woman. The tenth Secretary-General should break that pattern. History must not become our future. The most recent polls conducted by the UN Security Council confirm our worry: women’s support in the race is slowly eroding, and with it, this historical momentum for an inclusive, expanded, and new UN.

The next Secretary-General should be selected before the end of this year, and straw polls are happening multiple times per month now. Everything can shift instantly. This is why we are urgently calling on young people like you to ask your governments to support a woman as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. 

Women’s leadership is about more than representation. Evidence shows that when women meaningfully participate in peace processes, agreements are 35% more likely to last at least 15 years. Yet women continue to be excluded from the highest levels of global decision-making. After nine male Secretaries-Generals, the UN has an opportunity to demonstrate the inclusive leadership it asks of the world. In the current process, a woman is the frontrunner, but a man could still be chosen.

This is a call to stop treating leadership and equality as competing goals. We need a leader with the experience to navigate crises, the courage to confront injustice, and the independence to stand up to powerful interests. We reject the idea that meeting those standards requires choosing another man. 

For our generation, this decision is not distant diplomacy. It is about the future we will live in and whether the institutions shaping that reality are willing to reflect the equality they ask the world to uphold. 

The next Secretary-General should listen to young people, defend human rights, champion peace and make the United Nations more accountable to the people it serves. Appointing a woman will not, by itself, transform the institution. But excluding women from its highest office cannot remain the accepted outcome. 

While the Security Council recommends a candidate, the General Assembly officially appoints the Secretary-General. The five permanent members (the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and the United States) of the Council can veto a recommendation, but they are not the only governments with power.

We call on our governments and foreign ministers to publicly commit to supporting a woman and to withhold support from an appointment that will once again leave women excluded from the UN’s highest office. 

Here is how you can act: 

1. Send the campaign letter to your government using our Take Action tool.

2. Ask for a public response: Will your government support a woman as the next UN Secretary-General?

3. Share why this matters to you using #WeThePeople and #ItsHerTurn, and tag your foreign ministry where appropriate.

4. Record your action so we can document youth participation and government responses.

One letter is a demand. Thousands of letters are a message governments cannot easily dismiss: young people are watching, and we expect more than another promise of equality. 

The next generation should not have to inherit this unfinished promise. 

It’s Her Turn. 

With Immense Gratitude, 

The Youth