It’s Time for a different UN: A Madam Secretary-General
Date/Time
Date(s) - 28/02/2026
12:30 pm - 1:45 pm
Location
Leamington Spa Baptist Church
Categories
Warwick District UNA will be running an event on Saturday 28 February entitled
It’s Time for a Different UN: A Madam Secretary-General
At a time when global challenges are emerging in ways never anticipated, leadership that brings a fresh perspective is crucial. This meeting will explore what it will take for the United Nations, for the first time in its history, to appoint a woman as Secretary-General.
A female Secretary-General would reflect half the world’s population and bring a leadership style urgently needed in today’s multilateral system.
The speaker will be Fatiha Serour from GWL Global Women Leaders Voices (GWL Voices). They are running the campaign “It’s Time for a different UN: A Madam Secretary-General“.
The event will be held at 12:30 on 28 February in Leamington Spa Baptist Church, Chandos Street, Leamington Spa, CV32 4RN and via Zoom video conference.
Women leaders are widely recognized for:
- Active listening
- Bridging divides
- Problem-solving
- Focusing on measurable impact
- Caring for institutions while driving meaningful change
- Effective resource planning
These are not abstract qualities—they are skills women apply every day in homes, businesses, and governments around the world. The meeting will examine why these strengths must now be brought to the global stage.
The central question guiding the discussion is not whether a woman can lead the United Nations, but how her leadership can drive real and transformative change.
Ms. Fatiha Serour, Co-Founder of Justice Impact Lab and Chair of the Africa Group on Justice & Accountability (AGJA), an independent group of senior African experts specializing in international criminal law and human rights.
Ms. Serour brings more than 25 years of distinguished experience in international development, peacebuilding, justice, and inclusion. She previously served as United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Special Representative for Somalia. Over the course of her career within the United Nations system, she has held several senior leadership roles, including Senior Gender Adviser with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Regional Director at the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), and Senior Adviser in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. She also served as Director of the Youth Division and the Commonwealth Youth Programme at the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Beyond her multilateral work, Ms. Serour founded and led Serour Associates for Inclusion & Equity, an organization dedicated to advancing inclusive development, justice, and equity. Her professional experience spans more than 45 countries across Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
An Algerian national, Ms. Serour holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy from the University of Aberdeen, with a focus on development strategies for Africa, and a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Lille, France. She is fluent in French, Arabic, and English.