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?
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