1 for 8 Billion has sent an open letter to all UN member states signed by over 160 organisations and over 290 civil society leaders, lawyers, academics, humanitarian workers and UN staffers. It urges them to support only women candidates and ensure a transparent, inclusive process to select the next Secretary-General with meaningful civil society participation.

As the race gets underway to select the UN’s leader for the 2027-2031 term, here are the key rules and conventions to guide the process. This guide was originally published by PassBlue on 18 November 2025. It was written by 1 for 8 Billion’s Ben Donaldson and has been updated to reflect the official start of the race.

Today the Presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council jointly sent a letter to all UN Member States marking the official start of the UN Secretary-General selection process. The letter states that the process will be “guided by the principles of transparency and inclusivity and in a structured and timely manner” while outlining key rules for the selection.

1 for 8 Billion welcomes the beginning of public campaigning for Guterres' successor and praises Chile and Costa Rica for making the early announcement of strong women leaders as  contenders for the role of the next Secretary-General.

During UNGA High-Level Week—while Heads of State debated the UN’s purpose and future—one point became clear: if the UN is to prove its relevance, it will start with the choice of its next Secretary-General (SG), and with how that choice is made.

On the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, 1 for 8 Billion convened an intimate strategy meeting for civil society partners in New York. The session focused on advocacy, communications and on mobilizing civil society engagement ahead of the upcoming process.

As world leaders gathered in New York for the UN’s annual High Level Week, 1 for 8 Billion held a side event  in partnership with the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), the Center for Global Affairs, School of Professional Studies, New York University (NYU CGA), the Nobel Women’s Initiative and the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace.

1 for 8 Billion will be holding events with civil society and diplomats during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly as world leaders gather at the UN in New York.

Today the UN General Assembly adopted a significant resolution which shapes the rules of the process to appoint the next UN Secretary-General. Read 1 for 8 Billion’s snap reaction below outlining the top three reforms that states managed to find agreement on.

1 for 8 Billion is delighted to welcome GQUAL as a member of the campaign Steering Committee. 

GQUAL is a global campaign dedicated to achieving gender parity in international institutions, with a particular focus on bodies responsible for imparting international justice and developing international law. 

The zero draft contains measures which, if adopted, would create a more transparent, well-structured selection process with a more meaningful role for the General Assembly. While there are certain elements missing which we hope to see introduced during negotiations, overall, 1 for 8 BIllion welcomes the draft as a positive foundation to build on - read our commentary for more.

Originally published in PassBlue. Bolivia’s delegation to the United Nations circulated a letter to fellow member states announcing the nomination of the country’s Vice President David Choquehuanca as a candidate to succeed António Guterres as secretary-general of the UN. Guterres’s term finishes on Dec. 31, 2026.

1 for 8 Billion briefed diplomats from the ACT group - a cross-regional group of 27 small and mid-sized countries . The presentation, delivered by 1 for 8 Billion’s Ben Donaldson, advocated for reforms to ensure a more open, inclusive process to select the next Secretary-General and opportunities for civil society collaboration in the upcoming process.

Il est temps de se demander quel type de leader serait le mieux placé pour promouvoir les principes d’équité et d’égalité et façonner la diplomatie mondiale. Alors que la phase de décision se met en place, l’Afrique saisira-t-elle cette occasion pour affirmer son pouvoir collectif ou laissera-t-elle ses divisions affaiblir son influence?

New tool from GNWP, NYU SPS CGA, and 1 for Billion shows 92 UN Member States express strong support for a woman UN Secretary-General. Use our new tool to check out your country’s position.

On Thursday 20 February states in the General Assembly called for significant improvements to the upcoming Secretary-General (SG) selection process. A resolution negotiation will now follow, expected to be adopted in time to improve the upcoming SG selection process.

The next head of the United Nations will be appointed in 2026. It’s time to start thinking about what type of leader will be best placed to push principles of fairness and equality and shape global diplomacy, writes Gabriela Keseberg Dávalos in Devex.

Mavic Cabrera Balleza, Ben Donaldson and Anne Marie Goetz write on what latest research shows about members states support for appointing a feminist woman as the next Secretary-General

1 for 8 Billion’s discussion paper, circulated to all member states, asks them to seize the last opportunity to implement reforms in the General Assembly before the next Secretary-General selection process begins later this year.

The 1 for 8 Billion Campaign is proud to welcome five new campaign partners. Our partners bring a diverse range of expertise and are vital for ensuring that voices from across the globe can contribute to shaping the UN Secretary-General's selection process in 2026.

First published in Opinio Juris. Natalie Samarasinghe, co-founder of 1 for 8 Billion, highlights how General Recommendation 40 (GR40) lays a strong foundation for making gender parity in leadership a legal requirement.

1 for 8 Billion welcomes the emphatic support of The Elders for the appointment of a woman UN Secretary-General.  The independent group of global leaders championed this position at the UN headquarters as heads of Government met in September 2024.

1 for 8 Billion is pleased to have joined over 200 organisations and prominent individuals urging members of the Organization of American States (OAS) to elect its first woman Secretary General in 2025.

The G20 Leaders' Declaration, signed in November 2024, includes significant commitments to further the appointment of women to senior positions within the UN. 1 for 8 BIllion will be monitoring how this translates to action in the UN General Assembly throughout 2025.

At the first General Assembly debate of the session on the selection process for the UN Secretary-General (SG) the most prominent issue was women’s representation in UN leadership positions with many states using the opportunity to raise the need to appoint a woman Secretary-General - a central demand of the 1 for 8 Billion campaign.

The rights of women to participate in in international decision-making spaces has been strengthened with the adoption of important new guidance on women’s representation by CEDAW member states. The guidance makes it clear that women must have “equal and inclusive representation” in all decision-making systems and that, as a starting point, this requires no less than 50-50 parity between women and men.

On Friday 20 September the campaign launched its policy platform. Natalie Samarasinghe moderated the discussion with H.E Maritza Chan-Valverde, Ambassador of Costa Rica to the UN, Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Susana Malcorra, President and Founder of GWL Voices, and Shamala Kandiah Thompson of Security Council Report. 

Today world leaders gathered at UN headquarters to adopt the Pact for the Future. 1 for 8 Billion welcomes the Pact for the Future’s commitment to run a transparent, inclusive selection process and its support for a woman Secretary-General.