Gender Parity Watch 2026

2026 is a defining year for multilateralism. As the selection of the next United Nations Secretary-General gathers momentum, the international community has a rare opportunity to shape the future of global leadership for the coming decade. The decisions made this year will reveal whether commitments to inclusive leadership are translating into action (and whether the world is ready to break with nearly eight decades of precedent by choosing the first woman to lead the United Nations)

Among the key leadership processes and appointments we’re tracking:

• Secretary-General of the United Nations: The selection of the next UN Secretary-General is the defining multilateral leadership process of 2026. Seven candidates are currently in the race:María Fernanda Espinosa (Ecuador), Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica), Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett (Guyana), Rafael Grossi (Argentina), Macky Sall (Senegal), Olara Otunnu (Uganda) and Ivonne Baki (Ecuador). Notably, four of the seven candidates are women—the highest level of female representation in the history of the selection process. As the Security Council begins its deliberations, the coming months will determine whether the United Nations is finally prepared to appoint its first woman Secretary-General after more than 80 years of exclusively male leadership.

• Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO): Although the election of the next WHO Director-General will take place in 2027, the race is already underway. Member States have until September 2026 to nominate candidates, making this a pivotal moment to shape the field before campaigning begins. The selection process will be closely watched as another test of whether global health governance is ready to broaden its leadership. Since WHO was founded in 1948, only two women have served as Director-General, underscoring the continued importance of ensuring that qualified women are nominated and seriously considered for the Organization's highest office.

• Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW): On 27 July 2026, Sabrina Dallafior officially assumed office as the fifth Director-General of the OPCW, becoming the first woman to lead the Organisation since its establishment. Her appointment marks a historic milestone for one of the world's leading disarmament institutions and demonstrates that barriers to women's leadership in multilateral organizations can be broken. At a time of evolving global chemical security challenges, her leadership also reinforces the value of diverse perspectives at the highest levels of international decision-making.

• Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU): The election of the next ITU Secretary-General will take place during the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in November 2026. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the current ITU Secretary-General and the first woman to hold the position in 157 years, is the sole candidate for Secretary-General. The election is scheduled to begin on 12 November, with Member States voting at the Plenipotentiary Conference. Her candidacy means that, for the first time, the position could be retained by a woman, following her historic election in 2022.

• President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD): The election of the next IFAD President is underway, with nominations open until 24 November 2026. The election will determine the institution's next President, with the process taking place as IFAD seeks to appoint a successor to Álvaro Lario.

• President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB): The 2026 ADB presidential election has already concluded, with Masato Kanda unanimously reelected for a second five-year term beginning on 24 November 2026. Kanda was the sole nominee in the election, meaning the 2026 process did not result in a change in the gender of the institution's leadership. The outcome continues male leadership at the head of the ADB.