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Former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s potential pathway to achieve his longtime goal of becoming the United Nations’ top official is complicated by the fact that the organisation has stressed it would like a woman to take up the role and that a Latin American is favoured to claim the position.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called on the media to support Australians running for international positions when pressed on whether he would back Rudd for the UN secretary-general role, while emphasising his predecessor already has a demanding job lined up.
Another Rudd tilt for the job, having first sought the role in 2016, has been discussed in political circles since his surprise decision to step down as ambassador to the United States a year ahead of schedule and return to his previous position as head of the Asia Society think tank in New York.
The Asia Society’s office is just a 10-minute drive from UN headquarters on Manhattan’s East Side, meaning Rudd would be well-placed to campaign for the position.
The next secretary-general faces a daunting task to rebuild the UN’s credibility as US President Donald Trump seeks to challenge its pre-eminence by establishing a rival Board of Peace to address global challenges.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong last year declared the UN was “in crisis” because of funding shortfalls and perceived ineffectiveness as it came under criticism for failing to resolve conflicts like the war in Gaza.
“Kevin Rudd is about to become head of the Asia Society – that’s the job that he has applied for and indeed was courted for, to return to that job,” Albanese told reporters in Darwin before departing to Timor-Leste.
“That is what he will commence in April.”
Albanese added: “I look forward to the Australian media backing Australians for any position that they run for now and in the future.”
Rudd would need the Albanese government’s support to be an official candidate.
A letter sent to UN member states last November opened the call for applications to replace António Guterres, who will step down at the end of this year after holding the position since 2016.
“The position of secretary-general is one of great importance and one that requires the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity and a firm commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,” the letter from UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock and Security Council President Michael Imran Kanu said.
The letter continues: “Noting with regret that no woman has ever held the position of secretary-general, and convinced of the need to guarantee equal opportunities for women and men in gaining access to senior decision-making positions, member states are encouraged to strongly consider nominating women as candidates.
“We note the importance of regional diversity in the selection of secretaries-general.”
There is a widespread expectation in the diplomatic community that it is time for a diplomat from Latin America and the Caribbean to fill the role for the first time since Peru’s Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, who served from 1982 to 1991.
“While there’s no formal rule mandating regional rotation for the role of UN secretary-general, the practice has functioned like clockwork for decades,” Pía Riggirozzi, head of the politics and international relations department at the University of Southampton, wrote last year.
“From Kofi Annan (Africa) to Ban Ki-moon (Asia) to António Guterres (Europe), a loose geographic rotation has sought to ensure inclusivity – and legitimacy – in global leadership.
“Logically, this places Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in a favourable position to put forward a candidate.”
The case for a female secretary-general is “undeniable”, given a woman has not held the position since the UN was founded in 1945, she added.
Chile has nominated former president Michelle Bachelet for the role while Costa Rica has nominated former vice president Rebeca Grynspan. Both have held senior positions at the UN.
Rudd has told associates that he does not plan to run for the position, but he has long held ambitions to lead the UN.
Rudd’s office was contacted for comment.
When Rudd was discussed as a possible ambassador in Washington before his 2022 appointment, a spokesman said he was “very happy in New York” and that he had “zero plans” to leave the Asia Society.
Rudd sought the top UN role in 2016, but the Turnbull government declined to endorse him, quashing his hopes to take up the post.
In a piece for The Guardian that year Rudd described himself as “a life-long UN supporter, advocate and optimist”.
“But the time for deep UN reform is now,” he added. “Otherwise, the UN will, in the decades ahead, not die, but quietly fade away, the facade of a once grand building but where, on closer inspection, little of substance actually happens anymore.”
Candidates must be nominated by a member state and provide a vision statement, curriculum vitae and campaign financing disclosures to be uploaded to the UN’s website.
A webcast dialogue for candidates will be held in April.
Permanent members of the Security Council can veto candidates, raising the possibility that Rudd’s status as a China expert and former vocal critic of Trump could hamper a hypothetical candidacy.
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Matthew Knott is the foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X, Facebook or email.From our partners
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