Michelle Bachelet hopes the world is ready for a female UN chief

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 22:  Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, a candidate for UN secretary-general, said Tuesday she hoped the world is finally "ready" for a woman in the position.

Since the United Nations was founded after World War II, all nine UN chiefs have been men, although many countries have advocated for the appointment of a woman.

In 2016, despite several female candidates, Antonio Guterres of Portugal won the race.
"If I am polite, I would say the world was not prepared for it. Is it prepared now? I hope so," Bachelet, 74, told reporters after a three-hour hearing before member states.
"It will be a very good signal," she said. "It could get hope for many people."

In a world ravaged by wars, the candidate pleaded with member states to rebuild trust in the UN, particularly by continuing the organization's reform amid a political and financial crisis.
She also advocated for a secretary-general who would be "present in the field," somebody "who has the moral voice" and a "diplomatic stature that can be heard" by powerful states. 

While distrust of the UN is often illustrated by the Security Council's paralysis on many pressing issues, she acknowledged that she had no "magic formula" to change things.-AFP