Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Chosen to Head UN Women.

AIDS-Free World welcomes the appointment of former Chilean President, Dr. Michelle Bachelet, to head the United Nations' first full-fledged agency for women. We are enthusiastic and relieved following today's announcement that the newly formed "UN Women" will open its doors in January 2011 with an eminently qualified, effective and respected leader at its helm. Dr. Bachelet has an unimpeachable record of feminist advocacy in support of women's rights and social justice, and we expect that she will imbue her role, the new agency — and the UN system overall — with the principles, energy and focus that have been lacking in the United Nations system's response to the women of the world.  

AIDS-Free World's pleasure is tinged with the relief felt after a narrow escape. Dr. Bachelet's appointment is a rarity at the UN: an excellent outcome emanating from a fundamentally corrupt selection process. The search for a strong Under Secretary-General to lead UN Women was cloaked in furtive secrecy, marred by backroom wheeling and dealing and thoroughly dishonest in its claims of being a "fair, open and transparent" process with the meaningful involvement of civil society.  We are delighted that the strength of Dr. Bachelet's candidacy transcended a fraudulent system, and resulted in the appointment of a leader with no allegiance to the antiquated unwritten rules that govern the UN and have proven so prejudicial to women everywhere.  Acutely aware that Dr. Bachelet is the exception, not the rule, we remain committed to reforming the shady selection processes that continue to plague the UN and place unqualified individuals in critical positions.

Michelle Bachelet embodies the most important characteristics that AIDS-Free World's co-directors have advocated since 2006, when we first proposed that the UN's largely ineffective "gender architecture" be replaced by a UN agency equal to others. 

In our view, the new Under Secretary-General faces three immediate challenges:  First, she must corral initial funding of $1 billion to begin replacing empty "gender talk" with action and expertise.  Second, she must wade past a tidal wave of mediocrity and entitlement as UN staff jockey to land positions, and be unafraid to staff the new agency with outside experts who, like herself, are respected for their accomplishments rather than for successfully working the UN system. Finally, Dr. Bachelet will have to resist ongoing internal efforts to limit UN Women's strength, and establish the operational capacity on the ground that is indispensable if UN Women hopes to change the lives of women all over the world.

AIDS-Free World wishes Dr. Bachelet strength, courage, forbearance and every success as she works to transform the UN from a bastion of male dominance to a beacon of progress for women. 

 

For information, please contact:

Paula Donovan, Co-Director

Mobile: +1-781-266-7187