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Zambian leader says woman should take over top UN job

Xinhua, September 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Thursday called on United Nations member states to elect a woman as the new secretary-general of the world body.

Lungu said he had passion for the development of women and the youth hence his proposal that a woman should take over after the tenure of current UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expires, according to the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation.

Lungu, who attended the 71st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, said the summit was important in making efforts towards meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adding that the Leaders' Forum on Refugees and other migrants gave world leaders an opportunity to share experiences on hosting refugees and finding solutions to the issue.

The Zambian leader said the challenges of refugees from Syria in Europe and the instability in the Middle East has become a source of concern for peace.

In his address during high-level UN plenary meeting on tackling mass movements of refuges and other migrants, the Zambian leader said his government has commissioned a study into the refugee economy, which will help shape policies on asylum seekers' access to work and entrepreneurship.

The study is being conducted in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and that it will also help transform the widely held perception of a refugee as a burden to a realization that a refugee or migrant was an asset to a country in which they choose to live. Endit