Appointment of the Secretary-General
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On Monday (15 December), the Security Council will convene for an open debate on “Leadership for Peace” under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. Former UN Secretary-General and member of The Elders Ban Ki-moon is one of...
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On 25 November, the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council issued a joint letter marking the start of the selection and appointment process of the next UN Secretary-General. The joint letter invites member states to present their candidates for the position while also setting out the modalities for submitting and considering nominations. Ten years ago, the selection process was transformed from an opaque, somewhat mysterious process, controlled by the five permanent members, to a more open, transparent one with active involvement of civil society and the General Assembly. Drawing on Security Council Report’s coverage of the last selection and appointment process and our close monitoring of developments on this issue, this month’s In Hindsight provides a guide to the main steps of the process and the potential issues that may arise.
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In December, Slovenia plans to convene an open debate on “Leadership for Peace” under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. Former UN Secretary-General and member of The Elders, Ban Ki-moon, is expected to brief. A woman civil society representative may also brief. The open debate will be the signature event of Slovenia’s December presidency.
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A joint letter marking the formal start of the selection and appointment process for the next UN Secretary-General has been signed today (25 November) by the President of the Security Council, Michael Imran Kanu, and the President of the General...
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Tomorrow (8 June) morning, the Security Council will convene in person for a private session to discuss its recommendation to the General Assembly on the appointment of the Secretary-General. (Article 97 of the UN Charter states that the Secretary-General is...
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Secretary-General António Guterres’ five-year term concludes on 31 December 2021. The process of selecting and appointing the next Secretary-General officially commenced when the British Ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, acting in her capacity as president of the Security Council, and General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir, issued a joint letter on 5 February to all member states, soliciting candidates for the position.
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This report provides a comprehensive account of developments in the Security Council and General Assembly from the beginning to the end of the process, describing the major changes that culminated in the choice of António Guterres as the next Secretary-General.
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On 13 October, António Guterres was appointed as the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. The General Assembly has appointed eight other Secretaries-General, but the road to this decision was a very different one from previous years, when the selection of the Secretary-General was opaque and tightly controlled by the permanent members. This time, active involvement of civil society and members of the General Assembly in insisting on greater transparency and a more clearly defined selection process led to substantial changes that allowed both the General Assembly and elected members of the Security Council to play significant roles in the process.
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Following today’s (5 October), colour-coded straw poll, in which António Guterres was the only candidate with more than nine “encourage” votes and received no red ballot as a “discourage” vote, which would indicate a possible veto in a formal vote,...
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Council members will hold their first colour-coded straw poll tomorrow. Since July, five undifferentiated straw polls have been held, but this ballot will provide the first clear indication of which candidates could face a veto in a formal vote. The...
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Council members will hold their first colour-coded straw poll in early October as a further test of the viability of candidates who have been nominated for the position of the next Secretary-General. Since July, five undifferentiated straw polls have been held, but this one will provide the first clear indication of which candidates could face a veto in a formal vote. The Council will then decide whether it is ready to move to a formal vote on a resolution conveying its recommendation to the General Assembly for the next Secretary-General.
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On Monday (26 September), Council members will hold the fifth straw poll in the process to select the next Secretary-General. Like the first four straw polls held on 21 July, 5 August, 29 August and 9 September, this ballot will...
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Tomorrow (9 September), Council members will hold the fourth straw poll in the process to select the next Secretary-General. Like the first three straw polls held on 21 July, 5 and 29 August, this ballot will not differentiate between the...
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On Monday (29th August), Council members will hold their third straw poll in the process to select the next Secretary-General. Like the first two straw polls held on 21 July and 5 August, this ballot will be undifferentiated as between...
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Tomorrow morning (21 July), Security Council members will take the first step in testing the viability of the twelve nominated candidates for the post of Secretary-General when they participate in the first straw poll in the selection. The straw poll...
