IGP Workshop Focuses on Principles for Inclusive Leadership at UN
As world leaders gathered in September for the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly, the Ann F. Kaplan Women’s Initiative at Columbia’s Institute of Global Politics hosted a HER TURN Leadership Lab in partnership with GWL Voices to convene students and senior leaders for a discussion of inclusive global leadership, including with respect to the race for the next UN secretary-general.
The evening opened with remarks from Susana Malcorra, former IGP Carnegie Distinguished Fellow and former foreign minister of Argentina and president and cofounder of GWL Voices. A panel discussion followed, moderated by Yasmine Ergas, codirector of the Human Rights, Gender, and Equity concentration and IGP Faculty Board member at Columbia SIPA.
Ergas guided an intergenerational conversation that included Annalena Baerbock, former president of the UN General Assembly, former German foreign minister, and current SIPA professor of practice; Carol Bellamy, former executive director of UNICEF; Zoya Kalinsky, a UNICEF youth advocate; Jocast Samuel, of Girl MOVE Academy; and Léa Tricaud, a HER TURN rapporteur for GWL Voices.
Together, the panelists explored how institutions can move beyond the language of inclusion and share decision-making power with young people. Baerbock spoke about what it would mean for the UN to select its first woman secretary-general after nearly eight consecutive decades of men holding the position. Drawing on her experience leading the General Assembly and Germany’s foreign ministry, she also discussed the gap between having a seat at the table and having real power to shape decisions.
The event closed with a collaborative problem-solving workshop, in which students and young professionals split into small groups to discuss principles from the Decalogue. Groups identified barriers to implementing each principle and proposed simple, realistic solutions. Participants then agreed on priorities for the next secretary-general and member states to foster intergenerational and inclusive multilateral leadership.