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Latest post: Tue 6 Oct 2026Insights on the work of the UN Security Council
Fifth Security Council Straw Poll on UN Secretary-General Candidates
Tomorrow morning (7 October), Security Council members are expected to participate in the fifth straw poll to select a candidate to recommend to the General Assembly as the next UN Secretary-General. According to Article 97 of the UN Charter, the “Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council”. Straw polls are informal ballots used to assess the viability of candidates before the Council makes its formal recommendation through a resolution adopted during a private meeting.
Like the previous four straw polls, held on 30 July, 21 August, 18 and 29 September, tomorrow’s vote is expected to take place in the consultations room. Today (6 October), China and France were appointed as tellers. As in previous rounds, Council members are expected to receive one ballot per candidate, containing the candidate’s name followed by three options: “encouraged”, “discouraged”, and “no opinion expressed”. (For background, see our April research report titled “Power, Process and Participation: The Search for the Next Secretary-General”.)
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Greece is the president of the Security Council in October. Council members adopted the provisional programme of work for the month earlier today (1 October). Greece has chosen to organise two signature events. The first is a high-level briefing on...
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Tomorrow morning (2 October), Security Council members will convene for an informal interactive dialogue (IID) titled “From Adoption to Action: Focal Point Mechanism and the strengthening of an effective UN sanctions architecture”. Greece, the Council’s president in October, is organising...
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This afternoon (29 September), Security Council members are expected to participate in the fourth straw poll to select a candidate to recommend to the General Assembly as the next UN Secretary-General. According to Article 97 of the UN Charter, the...
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Tomorrow morning (29 September), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution extending the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) for another six months, until 31 March 2027. The draft resolution also requests the Secretary-General to...
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Tomorrow morning (29 September), the Security Council will convene for an open briefing and closed consultations on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including the work of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic...
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On Monday morning (28 September), the Security Council will hold an open briefing on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question” (MEPQ). Briefings are expected from Acting Special Coordinator and Resident Coordinator at the Office of the...
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Tomorrow afternoon (24 September), Security Council members will hold a high-level informal interactive dialogue (IID) on cooperation between the UN and the League of Arab States (LAS). Éléonore Caroit, France’s Minister Delegate for Francophonie, International Partnerships and French Nationals Abroad,...
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This morning (23 September) at 11 am EDT, the Security Council will hold a high-level briefing on Ukraine, which was requested by the Council’s five European members (Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, and the UK). French Minister for Europe and Foreign...
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Tomorrow afternoon (23 September), the Security Council will hold a high-level briefing on artificial intelligence (AI) and international security under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. France, the Council’s president in September, is convening the meeting, which...
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Tomorrow afternoon (18 September), the Security Council will hold a debate on peacekeeping reform pursuant to resolution 2378 of 20 September 2017. UN Secretary-General António Guterres is the anticipated briefer. In addition to Council members, seven members states—Austria, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
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Tomorrow morning (18 September), Security Council members are expected to participate in the third straw poll to select a candidate to recommend to the General Assembly as the next UN Secretary-General. According to Article 97 of the UN Charter, the...
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Tomorrow morning (17 September), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution extending the mandate of the Panel of Experts (PoE) supporting the 1737 Iran Sanctions Committee for another year, until September 2027. The US authored the...
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Tomorrow afternoon (17 September), Bahrain will convene an Arria-formula meeting titled “Safe Seas, Shared Security: Protecting Freedom of Navigation in an Evolving Security Environment”. Bahraini Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani is expected to chair the meeting. The...
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On Thursday morning (17 September), the Security Council will hold an open briefing on Syria. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Claudio Cordone, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher, and a civil society representative are expected to brief. Closed consultations are scheduled...
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Tomorrow afternoon (16 September), Pakistan will convene an Arria-formula meeting on upholding international law in situations of armed conflict. Briefings are expected from the Head of the Humanitarian Policy and Planning Section at the UN Office for the Coordination of...
