Russian UN envoy says bid for female UN chief usurps Eastern Europe's turn

Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said Wednesday the suggestion that the next secretary-general of the world body should be a woman is being pushed by some interested in superseding Eastern Europe's turn at the top spot.

Churkin, whose country is holding the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of September, met with reporters to discuss the 15-member panel's program of work and was asked to reply in his national capacity about the move for a woman secretary-general to replace Ban Ki-moon, who will retire at the end of next year.

Secretaries-general at the world body traditionally come from regional groups and it is Eastern Europe's turn this time around.

There is "strong concern by some members of the Eastern European group that some of those people who are vocally advocating for a female secretary-general, their interest is not really their main interest, not gender interest," he said. "Their interest is to step out of the Eastern European group, and this is a political consideration."

"Some of those people who very vocally are advocating the need to have a woman secretary-general, they are not really interested in a woman," Churkin said. "Their main interest is not that, but of course if we need to look for a good woman we need to look globally."

"So, this claim by the Eastern European group that it should be their candidate, it's not really an important claim," the Moscow envoy said. "The important thing is to have a woman as a secretary-general and now at this time we have, I think, two or three women you hear about. Some of them in different stages of being nominated."

Candidates for secretary-general traditionally have been nominated by regional groups.

The non-governmental organization Equality Now issued the call for a woman secretary-general earlier this year. It has listed the names of dozens of women it feels qualified for the job in addition to presidents, prime ministers, chancellors, ministers, heads of international organizations and UN under secretaries-general.

New rules are anticipated for the election next year of Ban's replacement.

"As usual it's not just a sort of humanitarian issue of man and woman but also a lot of political maneuvering is going on in order to achieve a certain goal in the selection," Churkin said. "We did write a letter from the Eastern European group to the president of the General Assembly (Sam Kutesa) saying, that yes the Eastern European group reiterates that we strongly believe that this is our turn."

"My colleagues in the Eastern European group ... talk all the time about it," he said. "And they are extremely strong on the right of the Eastern European group to provide their candidate for the secretary-general," said Churkin, who earlier recalled he was chairman of the Eastern European regional group last month.

"Of course we couldn't avoid discussing the election of the secretary-general. So, I like the comment one of my colleagues made: 'We support an Eastern European woman for secretary general.'" Endit