The UN's glass ceiling <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POlMtQCOqxGRuVFKc_yMZ-3khkft3QdVYRV7Ib7B7LqiXGeOTzv9QRdNTuILQ7DZdKwEpvdOei4l9gtp5xtSfy4j3cd7nbAZUNKA0beovEnLpdfCheveVxdLNWi5iXaAwxCnpDWptXG6QwvX2_AjOb-0LOunVt0HS9qWUej99fNhBZn8VvAmQyqdrYV9f6-eKNPc5JW7UI0vbz86puCGmCYLSeo-D1FtpnbCQCRRRUVXU1rmtA5HnXbOLvIsA4h9kqw==/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGZKQHBsgoAt720Y8rbf4YLAF74wsjXHs5kMA0yv5KZJIQGxwYednFaMHCLY7pz-B_zlH9BEPo=>*U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres delivers remarks on the occasion of the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women program. Photo by: UN Photo / Mark Garten* With International Women’s Day behind us, it’s worth asking: How much has really changed for women in global leadership? A new GWL Voices report <https://t.devex.com/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGZKQHBslKQ4ab5JiMFmF3dMzAgwKpQENSuBB6VO2iSPPV2Zi1Ad_-8n4B42iqOietzTijm0oc=> shows progress at the United Nations <https://t.devex.com/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGZKQHBsnivhlV4y2FvI91kNHDf-zFR_BVzU7_grK4g3oFahJmz1sEYZIfdpZetJDMMKIM0W34=> and other international bodies — with more women in senior roles. However, *governments are still lagging*, and the *U.N.’s top job remains seemingly out of reach*. The numbers are stark. Since 1945, just *208 of 2,800 UN ambassadors have been women*. Some countries — China, France, Russia — have never appointed one. Boardrooms aren’t much better: *Women held just 29% of governing board positions in 2024*. In 2016, a strong slate of women — Helen Clark, Susana Malcorra, and Kristalina Georgieva — vied for the secretary-general position at the U.N. However, the U.N. Security Council <https://t.devex.com/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGZKQHBsg_W9rar9R1P0ZfYN2E9ptsj1sgiMB2N4loykivh5aH0u2671x5PbvdJCMmCX99XQKQ=>’s power players picked António Guterres. Twice. Now, GWL Voices is rallying behind #MadamSecretaryGeneral for 2026 <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POlMtQCOqxGRuVFKc_yMZ-3khkft3QdVYRV7Ib7B7LqiXGeOTzv9QRdNTuILQ7DZdKwEpvdOei4l9gtp5xtSfy4j3cd7nbAZUNKA0beovEnLpdfCheveVxdLNWi5iXaAwxCnpDWptXG6QwvX2_AjOb-0LOunVt0HS9qWUej99fNhBZn8VvAmQyqdrYV9f6-eKNPc5JW7UI0vbz86puCGmCYLSeo-D1FtpnbCQCRRRUVXUxXoryYEY3cNJKO3cocI1Aw==/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGZKQHBsgoAt720Y8rbf4YLAF74wsjXHs5kMA0yv5KZJIQGxwYednFaMHCLY7pz-B_zlH9BEPo=>, with potential candidates such as Mia Mottley of Barbados, Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, and María Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador. But there’s backlash. Trump’s new anti-DEI executive order has the U.S. pushing to soften U.N. commitments to female leadership <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POiKRGbNY2OKC42jxnUn9zvqXkTWpMxh_gXjXesW1MaZvjiu5t6YPah5FTPQbMvP_Z46OX4AYPO7vuxWIFrEFDv_aUUbiRwkTdQSr1rFnQgtOPMZyFAbJFhLcpxxQxpAhHo6LXgHBiD5-N7GFMTB_cj8rlCagtWMo47LtILJ_T2cWDTLF2B9z0IKwQT31b4OICMwI1OcLpK8W2_nEIivR12_90KgGnpLynrsJi_tFkM9yBSkjmi1TWXXURlxiI21e6w==/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGZKQHBsgoAt720Y8rbf4YLAF74wsjXHs5kMA0yv5KZJIQGxwYednFaMHCLY7pz-B_zlH9BEPo=> , *while Russia wants them gone entirely*. “We are witnessing *an aggressive backlash against gender equality*,” Guterres warns. *Read: *Is the world ready for a woman at helm of the United Nations? <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POlMtQCOqxGRuVFKc_yMZ-3khkft3QdVYRV7Ib7B7LqiXGeOTzv9QRdNTuILQ7DZdKwEpvdOei4l9gtp5xtSfy4j3cd7nbAZUNKA0beovEnLpdfCheveVxdLNWi5iXaAwxCnpDWptXG6QwvX2_AjOb-0LOunVt0HS9qWUej99fNhBZn8VvAmQyqdrYV9f6-eKNPc5JW7UI0vbz86puCGmCYLSeo-D1FtpnbCQCRRRUVXUN8TIJ-OCMoMdxlsP5K3uZQ==/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGZKQHBsgoAt720Y8rbf4YLAF74wsjXHs5kMA0yv5KZJIQGxwYednFaMHCLY7pz-B_zlH9BEPo=>