Sawt Falasteen - Chile officially backs Bachelet candidacy for UN top job

Outgoing President Gabriel Boric made the announcement Monday following concerns that Bachelet's bid could be blocked by right-winger Jose Antonio Kast, due to take over the Chilean presidency next month.

Bachelet, 74, has been a trailblazer for Latin America: the first woman to serve as defense minister and the first female elected as the Chilean president, serving two terms from 2006 to 2010 and 2014-18.

She has also served as the UN high commissioner for Human Rights and the first head of the then-newly created UN Women agency.

Last year, she was nominated for the UN's top job by Boric, and later met Kast to seek his backing.

After that meeting, in December, Bachelet told AFP "the world is ready" for a woman to take over and make "a different contribution through a different kind of leadership."

The UN, which turns 81 years old this year, has never had a woman at the helm and only one Latin American -- Peruvian diplomat Javier Perez de Cuellar who served as secretary-general from 1982 to 1991.

The post traditionally rotates between world regions, with Latin America next in line as Portuguese Antonio Guterres's term comes to an end.

"President Bachelet's candidacy, which has already been registered with the United Nations, will be presented jointly with our sister countries Brazil and Mexico," Boric told reporters on Monday.

Three other women from Latin America and the Caribbean are in the running for the UN top job: Costa Rican Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the UN Conference on Trade and Development; Mexican Environment Minister Alicia Barcena; and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

The other candidate is International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi from Argentina.

D.Khalil--SF-PST