Under the leadership of President Macky Sall, Senegal enforced its gender parity law with rigour, and the proportion of women in the National Assembly rose from 22.7% to 42.7%. This figure places the country fourth in Africa for women's representation in parliament. Few countries have achieved such rapid progress within a stable democratic framework.
This record explains why gender parity and inclusive governance stand at the heart of President Macky Sall's candidacy for Secretary-General of the United Nations. On this subject, his position rests on measured and documented facts.
It also reflects a consistent conviction. For him, inclusive governance is a condition of effectiveness, because an institution that excludes half of its population deprives itself of half of its talent. He demonstrated this in the governance of the Senegalese state, as his biography shows.
This national experience grounds a precise international commitment. President Macky Sall's vision for the United Nations guarantees "geographic and gender representation at all levels" of the Organization. The commitment covers the Secretariat, the agencies, the funds and the programmes, for leadership posts as well as operational functions. It will be implemented through numerical targets and public deadlines.
At the top of its hierarchy, the United Nations has made progress on parity. Middle management and field operations, however, still lag behind. The next Secretary-General must turn commitments into results. Doing so requires a proven method, the one President Macky Sall applied in Senegal: set targets, publish the data, report every year.
For President Macky Sall, gender parity is judged on a record. His own announces how he intends to lead the United Nations Secretariat: by example and by measurement, with transparency. Member States and the staff of the Organization can judge the evidence for themselves. Full information on the candidacy is available at www.mackysall.net.