Using the principal of geographical rotation, every ten or so years the post of UN Secretary-General is given to individuals from various continents. Each candidate is usually kept for two terms of five years each. The individual selected has a duty and responsibility to represent the people of his/her continent by sharing the beliefs or values of the dominant civilization of any given continent.
There are over 10 Buddhist states in Asia including Sri Lanka, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Kampuchea, Vietnam, Bhutan, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Japan, and Mongolia. Hindu and Buddhist civilizations have been prominent for over two millennia. There are two large Hindu states in Asia—India and Nepal, in addition to many Sikhs and Jain’s dispersed throughout Asia. In total these religions comprise of an astounding number of over 2.5 billion within Asia. This number should be taken into account when the nominees for Secretary-General are selected and voted on.
There have been 8 Secretary –Generals since the beginning of the United States in 1946. They are listed as follows:
1 ) Trygve Lie
Country : Norway
Religion: Lutheren Christian
Term of Office: 1946 – 1952
2 ) Dag Hammarskjold
Country: Sweden
Religion: Christian
Term of Office: 1953 – 1961
3 ) U Thant
Country : Myanmar ( formerly known as Burma )
Religion: Buddhist
Term of Office: 1961 – 1971
4 ) Kurt Waldheim
Country: Austria
Religion: Roman Catholic
Term of Office: 1972 – 1981
5 ) Javier de Perez de Cuellar
Country: Peru
Religion: Roman Catholic
Term of Office: 1982 – 1991
6 ) Boutros Boutros – Ghali
Country: Egypt
Religion: Coptic Christian
Term of Office: 1992 – 1996
7 ) Kofi Annan
Country: Ghana
Religion: Christian
Term of Office: 1997 — 2006
8 ) Ban Ki – moon
Country: South Korea
Religion: Christian (non – denominational)
Term of Office: 2006 – 2011
If broken down into continental representation, the post of UN Secretary-General has been held by three Europeans, two Asians, one Latin American and two from the African continent. All of these posts were chosen on the basis of geographical rotation.
Even though the posts were drawn from different continents on the basis of geographical rotation, It is interesting and important to note that seven of the eight holders of the post were Christian (or nominal Christians). The only non-Christian post was taken by U Thant from Myanmar. To this day not a single Hindu, Sikh, or Jain has been has been chosen for this post.
The world’s number 1 bureaucratic position job will lose its prestige and influence on the world if posts are continuously given to members of primarily one religion.
Members of Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh or Jain communities should also have equal representation within the posts chosen. It is now Asia’s turn to be chosen because if a nation from the Asian continent fails to get chosen in the next round in 2011, it will take another 30 years under the principal of continental rotation for Asia to push for a representative from Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh or Jain faith.