Source: SFGate
In 2011, Ban Ki-moon  begins the fifth year of his five-year term as United Nations secretary-general, and a discussion will begin about a possible extension of his term or a possible successor for him.

U.N. member states should appoint a woman to be the next secretary-general starting in January 2012.

World leaders have made many solemn declarations about the empowerment and advancement of women. In 1997, the General Assembly passed a resolution that recognized the importance of gender equality in the selection of the secretary-general. In recent months, the world community marked the 10th anniversary of the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, which called on member states "to ensure increased representation of women at all decision-making levels in national, regional and international institutions." World leaders have said all the right things. It is time to do the right thing.

Appointing a woman to be the next United Nations secretary-general would place a woman in a position of singular prominence. It would have tremendous symbolic importance, and symbolism matters - culturally and politically.

Appointing a woman also would have concrete policy effects. A leader committed to these issues would advance the cause of providing women and girls around the world with greater and equal access to health care, education, economic opportunities, political rights and basic security. This would empower women and girls - half of the human race - to contribute to local, national and international development in the 21st century. This will be vital not just for women and girls but for men and boys - for humanity as a whole.

U.N. member states usually take regional considerations into account in selecting a secretary-general, but there are brilliant female leaders in every region of the world who have the policy expertise, political experience and gravitas that this position requires:

 Michelle Bachelet has a medical degree, she has studied military strategy, and she was the first female president of Chile. She is currently U.N. under-secretary-general for gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Helen Clarke served as prime minister of New Zealand for nine years, and her policy priorities included conflict resolution and sustainable development. She is currently head of the U.N. Development Programme.

Radhika Coomaraswamy has been chairwoman of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission and director of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies in Colombo. Since 2006, she has been the U.N. secretary-general's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.

 Graça Machel was Mozambique's minister of education and culture for 14 years. She is renowned for her international advocacy of women's and children's rights and for her work on education and hunger.

Margot Wallström has held multiple ministerial positions in Sweden, and she has been the European Union environmental commissioner and first vice president of the European Commission, the European Union's executive branch. She is currently U.N. special representative on sexual violence in conflict.

The United States has made the empowerment of women and girls a cornerstone of its foreign policy. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has argued that "women's equality is not just a moral issue, it's not just a humanitarian issue, it is not just a fairness issue. It is a security issue, it is a prosperity issue, and it is a peace issue." Clinton said this is "in the vital national interest of the United States of America."

The same could be said of all 192 member states of the United Nations. Appointing a woman to be the next U.N. secretary-general would have a transformational impact on the advancement of women and girls around the world. This, in turn, would have a tremendous impact on the world itself. This is one of the best opportunities member states will have in this decade to advance global development and international peace and security in the 21st century.

The problem is not a lack of capable women. The problem is a lack of determination, political will and vision.