Ex-New Zealand leader Helen Clark announces bid for top UN post

Helen Clark, a former New Zealand prime minister, announced Tuesday she is running for the top position at the United Nations. Ms Clark would become the first woman leader of the UN should she succeed. She said she would bring nearly 30 years of leadership skills to the job of secretary-general in a world of increasing challenges. Ms Clark is the eighth candidate, and the first from outside Europe, to enter the race to succeed Ban Ki-moon, whose second term expires at the end of this year.

Having served as the prime minister of New Zealand for nine years and held one of the top jobs in the United Nations for the past seven, Helen Clark has the right mix of skills and experience for the job.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key

Some in the U.N. are pushing for a woman to take the top role for the first time and some, including Russia, are arguing that Eastern Europe has never had a secretary-general and it’s their turn. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said he had personally raised the possibility of her candidacy with President Barack Obama and other senior U.S. officials when he was in Washington last week and didn’t get any pushback. Currently the UN’s highest-ranking woman, 66-year-old Clark heads its largest agency, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), a post she has held for the past seven years, overseeing the world body’s vast development agenda.

I’m not putting myself forward because I’m a woman. I’m putting myself forward because I think I’m the best person for the job.

Helen Clark

Helen Clark