Michelle Bachelet, former president of Chile, announced that she is withdrawing her candidacy for the position of UN Secretary-General.
“I have no regrets,” she explained, noting that she helped spread the belief that Antonio Guterres should be succeeded by a woman from Latin America.
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The United Nations has never had a woman at its helm, and only one Latin American— the Peruvian diplomat Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, has served as Secretary-General (1982–1991).
Bachelet is the only woman to have held the highest office in Chile twice (2006–2010 and 2014–2018). She has served as Executive Director of UN Women (2010–2013) and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2018–2022).
“I will remain actively committed to the urgent mission of building a world with more peace, security, sustainable development, and respect for human rights,” said the 74-year-old Bachelet in her video message.
Rebecca Greenspan, former vice president of Costa Rica, is considered the front-runner in the race to succeed António Guterres, as she received the most support in the most recent informal vote by the UN Security Council.
The Security Council will nominate a candidate who has the support of at least nine of its fifteen members and is not at risk of being vetoed by any of the five permanent members (the U.S., Russia, China, the U.K., and France), and the decision is made by the UN General Assembly.
Source: Proto Thema
