Like It Is

Seems to be Women’s Week with another first and another story that I thought worth highlighting.

First woman deputy follows heavy pressure from African states

Now this is what I call a rather more balanced write-up of a recent woman appointee, even though the appointment itself isn’t met by jubilation from all. This is because this appointee comes from the previous UN cabinet that had more than a few failings and most were hoping for a new broom.

“Sources said that Ban Ki Moon, the new UN chief, met her when he visited Tanzania, then on the 15-nation UN Security Council, during his campaign for the top UN job last year. She will be responsible for managing the unwieldy UN bureaucracy that has been plagued by corruption and sexual abuse scandals in recent years.

Mr Ban, a former South Korean Foreign Minister who began his five-year term at the United Nations this week, has promised “bold steps” to reform the organisation but his early appointments have disappointed UN staff.

They had called on him to bring about a “fundamental change in the mindset of senior management . . . from a relationship based on dominance, disregard and fear to a real partnership.” Instead, Mr Ban named two insiders from the scandal-scarred administration of Kofi Annan, his predecessor, to key internal posts.”

Doesn’t augur well, does it? But I like the bio,myself. Not a word about fluffy hair,make up or high heels at least in this report. No brood of children in her wake. All about her achievements and just one bullet point about her family status. That’s more like it. Maybe that’s why it didn’t make the wider networks. No sexy angle to be had here:

First lady