New York, 27 September 2024 (dpa/MIA) — German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is calling for the first woman to lead the United Nations, urging the international body to elect a female secretary general after nearly 80 years of male leadership.

Women make up 50% of every country, Baerbock said at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, "but in 80 years, this organization has never had a female secretary general."

"So if this organization calls for equality and justice in the world, it is long overdue for us to show it here in New York," she added.

"The next secretary general of this organization has to be a woman," Baerbock said.

So far, there have been nine heads of the world organization, all men, including current Secretary General António Guterres.

Guterres, whose second term ends in 2026, has expressed support for a female successor.

In UN circles, a person from the Global South is considered likely, with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley emerging as a potential contender.