Forward is delighted to announce that it has secured the participation of two highly qualified women to run on a ticket for the roles of Secretary-General, and Deputy Secretary-General.
The movement has been accepting candidacies and outreaching to prospective candidates for the last few weeks to participate in its global progressive primaries. Two highly qualified women, both from the Latin America region, the next one in the geographic rotation after Europe, have taken on the challenge:
- Rosalía Arteaga Serrano, for the position of UN Secretary-General on behalf of the Forward movement. Ms. Arteaga is an Ecuadorian politician, writer, lawyer and social activist. She was the first female President and Vice-President of Ecuador. Former Secretary General of Amazon CooperationTreaty Organization ACTO, she was also a member of the board of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. A Member of the World Academy of Art and Sciences, a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Library of Alexandria (Egypt) and an Academician of Honor from the Royal European Academy of Doctors.
- Paula Bertol, for the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations on behalf of the Forward movement. Ms. Bertol is an Argentinian politician and lawyer. She was Ambassador of Argentina to the Organization of American States, presiding the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism, and Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Administration for the Macri’s Administration.
A digital confirmation vote will be held from the 30th of April and will last 48 hours, enabling Forward’s members to back candidates for the planet’s top post. Commenting on this news, Andrea Venzon, Forward’s co-founder, stated: “This is an impressive achievement for the first global, political movement that the world has ever seen. In a few weeks of work, we have got the voices of the people in the selection process of the Secretary-General: it’s the right time for the United Nations to put those they are supposed to serve at the center, the People.”
Colombe Cahen-Salvador, the other co-founder of Forward, added: “Not one woman has been appointed to the position of Secretary General in 76 years: that’s 71 years too long. We say no more. Rosalia Arteaga and Paula Bertol represent hope for women and girls all over the world that places of power will not remain out of reach for much longer. Their participation sends a strong signal: gender equality comes with power!”
Ms. Arteaga, Forward’s prospective Lead Candidate, added: “I am convinced of the importance and validity of international organizations. I believe that they are called to play a fundamental role in this society of the third millennium and the post-COVID era. In this sense, women have a lot to contribute. The UN must be open to female leadership, be inclusive, and show that solutions can be generated based on a different perspective.” Ms. Bertol, running as Deputy in the Forward ticket, stated: “I truly believe that the principles of Forward are of great importance, that is why I decided to join this initiative. The purpose of open elections, with candidates that emerge from and are supported by the popular vote will result in greater participation of society in international organizations, in line with the proliferation of global mobilization groups.”
Forward will officially communicate the candidacies to the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council early next week, following the confirmation vote.