Appointment of the Secretary-General
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The Council will hold its first straw poll on 21 July to gauge the viability of candidates who have been nominated for the position of the next UN Secretary-General. Depending on the results of that initial straw poll, there may be a second one held before the end of the month. Several informal meetings with candidates are also expected.
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In this report, we examine the major developments that have occurred since October 2015 in both the General Assembly and the Security Council.
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In mid-April, the General Assembly held three days of hearings with the nine candidates who had been formally nominated, and further hearings are expected in early June. The activity in the General Assembly appears to have prompted Council members to begin informal discussions on the next steps for the Council in the Secretary-General appointment process.
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This afternoon, Council members will discuss the next steps for the Security Council in the Secretary-General selection process under “any other business” at the request of Egypt. This is the first meeting in consultations regarding the appointment of the next...
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A draft joint letter from the Security Council and General Assembly presidents, which will mark the start of the process to select and appoint the next Secretary-General, is under silence until noon today (14 December). Following a meeting between Russia,...
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The UK has indicated interest in a discussion this week under “any other business” (AOB) on a draft joint letter from the Security Council and General Assembly presidents which will mark the start of the process to select and appoint...
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Council members will meet today (18 November), under “any other business” to discuss the contents of a draft joint letter which would formally launch the selection process for the next Secretary-General. The letter was circulated to all 15 members on...
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The most important decision that the Security Council will take in 2016 will be the selection of the ninth Secretary-General of the UN. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s term ends on 31 December 2016.
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Before the end of 2016, the next UN Secretary-General has to be chosen. The Security Council had its first informal discussion on this issue on 22 July. Though no meetings are scheduled in September in the Council on the Secretary-General selection process, members will be participating in the final stages of negotiations on a draft resolution in the General Assembly on the revitalisation of its work, which includes significant paragraphs on the selection process.
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On Wednesday (22 July), Council members are scheduled to have their first discussion on the process for the selection of the next Secretary-General. The topic will be raised during consultations under “Any Other Business” (AOB). This issue has in recent...
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Tomorrow afternoon (30 June), the Security Council will hold a wrap-up session for the month of June during which Malaysia held the Council presidency. This is only the third wrap-up session to be held in 2015. (Chile and France held...
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The Security Council is expected to meet in a private session (as requested under the Provisional Rules of Procedure) on 16 June to formally recommend the re-appointment of the Secretary-General for the 2012-2016 term. Members of the Council met in...
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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s first term in office is due to expire on 31 December 2011. No alternative candidate has emerged and it appears likely that the Security Council will recommend that he will be reappointed to a second term. At this stage some key Security Council members (both permanent and elected) have publicly indicated support for Ban’s reappointment. Others, including some of the P5, have not yet expressed their positions. But there is no evidence of any emerging opposition to a second term by any P5 member. This is important because of the key role played by the P5 members, any of whom may veto a decision to recommend reappointment of the Secretary-General. There are no formal requirements for the timing of reappointment decisions. (The last reappointment decision by the Security Council was in 2001 when Kofi Annan was recommended for a second term by acclamation. This occurred on 27 June 2001 in a closed private meeting.) This report outlines the main processes guiding the appointment of a Secretary-General and recalls a number of recent proposals for reforming the selection and appointment process. It does not traverse in detail the history of procedures for contested elections since it seems unlikely that the 2011 decision will be contested. Readers may find these details in reports by Security Council Report in 2006 in the lead-up to the appointment of the current Secretary-General
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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's first term in office is due to expire on 31 December 2011. No alternative candidate has emerged and it appears likely that the Security Council will recommend that he will be reappointed to a second term. At this stage some key Security Council members (both permanent and elected) have publicly indicated support for Ban's reappointment. Others, including some of the P5, have not yet expressed their positions. But there is no evidence of any emerging opposition to a second term by any P5 member. This is important because of the key role played by the P5 members, any of whom may veto a decision to recommend reappointment of the Secretary-General. There are no formal requirements for the timing of reappointment decisions. (The last reappointment decision by the Security Council was in 2001 when Kofi Annan was recommended for a second term by acclamation. This occurred on 27 June 2001 in a closed private meeting.) This report outlines the main processes guiding the appointment of a Secretary-General and recalls a number of recent proposals for reforming the selection and appointment process. It does not traverse in detail the history of procedures for contested elections since it seems unlikely that the 2011 decision will be contested.
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Russia, as Security Council's president for January, has proposed for Monday, 8 January, a public debate on Threats to International Peace and Security. The main purpose is to provide the new UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with an occasion to formally address the Council for the first time.
