Reflections and lessons learned

The 1 for 7 Billion campaign fought hard for the 2015-16 selection process to be geared to find the best person to become Secretary-General, irrespective of gender or region.

We are glad that a well qualified Secretary-General was appointed following a much more open and transparent selection process that involved unprecedented open dialogues between all candidates and Member States in which civil society participated. It is crucial that the new process is assessed, that advances gained are consolidated and that future steps are identified to further improve the selection process of the Secretary-General, including how the new process applies to an incumbent Secretary-General seeking re-election. 

This page lists a range of assessments of the 2015-16 process with recommendations for future action by experts with first-hand knowledge of the process, including the former President of the General Assembly and his team, Member States, and civil society, including supporters of the 1 for 7 Billion campaign.

Civil society analysis

• The UN Secretary-General Selection and Appointment Process: Emerging from the Shadows
  Security Council Report (April 2017)

• A Better Process, a Stronger UN Secretary-General: How Historic Change Was Forged and What Comes Next
  Yvonne Terlingen, Steering Committee Member, 1 for 7 Billion (June 2017)

President of the General Assembly and his team

• Nudging the decision on UN Secretary General from the Security Council
  Mogens Lykketoft, President of the 70th session of the General Assembly (December 2016)

• A Renewed Process for Selecting and Appointing the UN Secretary-General
  Meena Syed, Senior Adviser, Office of the President (April 2017)

Member States

• Selection process for the Secretary-General of the United Nations: achievements and lessons learned
  Koro Bessho, Permanent Representative of Japan to the UN (February 2017)

• ACT Non-Paper - Lessons learned during the selection process of the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations in 2015 and 2016
  Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group (Oct 2017)

• ACT Non-Paper - Selection and appointment of the Secretary-General for the term beginning in 2022 (Feb 2021)