海角大神

A version of this post ran on聽. The views expressed are the author's own.

The United Nations recently welcomed its ninth secretary-general, . The former Portuguese prime minister took the helm of the international organization on Jan. 1, 2017, .

In Latin America, as in much of the world, the October 2016 appointment of Mr. Guterres, a European man, was . For the first time in the 70 years of history of the UN, half of the candidates for secretary-general 鈥� a gender equality milepost. And yet a man won out in the end, leaving many observers and member states wondering whether the Security Council was simply not ready to .

For Latin America the disappointment may have been somewhat keener. Two of the female nominees were from the region: 海角大神a Figueres, , and Susana Malcorra, . They were the region鈥檚 first women to be on the short list, and the first time ever two Latin Americans were .

Still, upon Guterres鈥檚 confirmation in October, many of the region鈥檚 heads of state, including Brazilian president Michel Temer and Mexican president Enrique Pe帽a Nieto, promptly . Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Uruguay, in addition to welcoming the new secretary-general, also invited him to examine the numerous necessities and challenges confronting the region, which is home to and growing quickly.

Latin American issues on the UN Agenda

Most of the region鈥檚 collective concerns are already specified in the UN鈥檚 , which established an agenda that the General Assembly should work to meet by 2030.

One of the most important objectives is eradicating poverty and hunger on the planet. For Latin America, this is critically important but difficult to achieve: Around 25 percent of the region lives in poverty, subsisting on $4 or less per day, according to the .

Latin America also has some of the richest people on the planet: Forbes magazine now ranks Mexican businessman Carlos Slim as the world鈥檚 , with a wealth of $48.6 billion. How to help states feed the hungry while reducing this major social gap is one challenge for the new secretary-general.

A related issue shared by many countries in the region is sustainable development. Exploitation of natural and is a common industry, licit and illicit, across Latin America.

Ending environmentally damaging activities such as mining and logging is not as simple as ceasing operations. How can the region produce sufficient agricultural goods for a constantly increasing population, which has , without expanding agricultural land? Feeding the population and promoting sustainable development don鈥檛 have to be in tension with each other, but in Latin America today, they are.

Another Latin American issue that needs support from within the UN General Assembly is security. Latin America has the , and danger is a fact of life in countries like Brazil, El Salvador, and Mexico.

Less than a tenth (8 percent) of the world鈥檚 population lives in Latin America and the Caribbean, but the region accounts for roughly . Tackling domestic and transnational organized crime involves the coordination and cooperation of cities and states within the countries and at the regional level.

The newly nominated secretary-general聽must deeply consider how the UN can support the efforts of the national governments as they deal with these life-and-death issues.

Unfinished reforms

Finally, Latin America, more than any other region, wants to see the UN continue to reform its institutions, particularly that of the secretary-general聽selection and nomination process. In 1996 and 1997, the UN鈥檚 High-Level Working Group issued a regional rotation of General Assembly leadership and an emphasis on gender equality in the secretary-general聽selection process. Clearly, these recommendations were only partially implemented in the 2016 selection process that led to Guterres鈥檚 appointment.

Latin America has had only one secretary-general, the Peruvian Javier P茅rez de Cu茅llar, who served (1982-1986 and 1987-1991). That is a poor regional representation compared to the seven terms of Western European countries, three terms from Africa and four from Asia.

Some Latin American powers expect the UN secretary-general聽to support the for the reform of the Security Council. Brazil, in particular, would like to see an increase in the number and tenure of Security Council members. Since the 1990s, it has been seeking global partners and allies to support its ideas of adding an extended number of non-permanent spots as well as finding a place for Brazil among permanent members.

This scenario is highly unlikely to pass. But if it did, such a reform would radically influence the dynamics of selecting the secretary-general. When Guterres was appointed, both Brazil鈥檚 official declarations and the congratulations it issued in alliance with other BRICS states highlighted this pending request.

All told, Latin American diplomats and presidents will welcome Secretary-General Guterres with open arms 鈥� and a long list of demands.

Raul Salgado Espinoza聽is a research professor at the Department of International Studies and Communication in the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, Flacso-Ecuador.