PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Henry Herrera
Telephone: +1-301-801-0608
Email: info@menandboys.net
The UN’s Next Leader Must Restore Its Broken Promise to Men and Boys
June 3, 2026 — Secretary-General António Guterres will complete his term at the end of 2026, and the United Nations has begun the search for his successor (1). Among the declared candidates is Michelle Bachelet of Chile, the former head of UN Women and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2).
The choice carries weight beyond a single appointment. The Preamble to the UN Charter affirms “the equal rights of men and women” (3). For more than a decade, that promise has been honored for one sex and largely withheld from the other.
A recent series of 12 analyses by the International Council for Men and Boys (ICMB) examined UN policy across health, education, child protection, family courts, criminal justice, partner abuse, homelessness, workplace mortality, and reproductive policy, among other areas (4). In each one, the same pattern emerged: a measurable male disadvantage, met by little or no dedicated UN response.
Female disadvantage is named, funded, and addressed. Male disadvantage is studied rarely and acted on less.
Ms. Bachelet’s record gives the movement reason for concern. As High Commissioner, she urged every country to recognize a person’s gender “based on self-identification” (5). Policies of that kind, in ICMB’s view, override the rights of biological women — their privacy in single-sex facilities, their safety, and fair competition in women’s sport.
Her support has also narrowed. In March 2026, Chile — now led by President José Antonio Kast — withdrew its nomination of Ms. Bachelet, though Brazil and Mexico continue to back her (6).
The concern is not partisan, and it is not about one candidate alone. It is about whether the next Secretary-General will lead for all of humanity.
ICMB has already written directly to the permanent UN missions of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Each was urged to use its Security Council veto to prevent Ms. Bachelet’s appointment, and to insist the next Secretary-General restore the Charter’s promise to men and women (7).
The ICMB calls on UN member states, national leaders, ambassadors, and pro-family organizations to act. At a minimum, the steps include:
- Ask every candidate for Secretary-General to state, on the record, how they will deliver the Charter’s promise of equal rights to men and boys.
- Urge members of the UN Security Council to weigh each candidate’s record on the equal rights of both sexes before lending support.
- Decline to support any candidate whose record reflects a one-sided conception of “gender equality.”
- Insist that the next Secretary-General commit, in word and in program, to a UN that serves women and men, girls and boys alike.
The selection of a Secretary-General comes once in a decade. It is a rare chance to restore a promise the UN made to the whole human family in 1945 — and has yet to keep.
The International Council for Men and Boys is a non-governmental organization working to end the 12 sex disparities that affect men and boys worldwide. The ICMB is a leader of the emerging global movement to address these disparities. https://www.menandboys.net/
Posted: https://www.menandboys.net/pr/un-next-secretary-general-promise-to-men-and-boys/
Links:
- https://www.un.org/en/sg-selection-and-appointment
- https://passblue.com/2026/02/02/michelle-bachelet-of-chile-is-running-for-the-uns-top-post-with-regional-backing/
- https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/preamble
- https://www.menandboys.net/pr/reports-reveal-the-un-gender-agenda-as-one-sided-ideological-and-indefensible/
- https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1098012
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_Nations_Secretary-General_selection
- https://www.menandboys.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Letter-to-US-Mission-Re-Sec-General.pdf