In his two statements to the General Assembly and speaking to the media since taking office as President of the General Assembly, Mr Mogens Lykketoft made clear his intention to bring more transparency to the process to select the next UN Secretary-General, as a matter of priority.

Referring to General Assembly Resolution 69/321 adopted on 11 September, President Lykketoft, speaking to the UN press corps, acknowledged that, while it represents a positive step forward, the resolution does not include key reform proposals that enjoy the overwhelming support of member states:

'We are totally aware that the consensus resolution from 10 days ago did not address all the wishes for a more transparent process. There is no demand for more than one candidate that has been asked for by a number of countries and from the NGO movement 1 for 7 billion.’

With regards to next steps, Mr Lykketoft commented:

'The first thing that should happen is the common letter between the President of the General Assembly and the Security Council ...My personal ambition is that we move pretty quickly because we need a long period searching for candidates and also a fairly early final decision in the second half of next year’

Mr Lykketoft went on to assert that, by holding ‘early and open dialogues’ with candidates, the General Assembly will have a ‘much higher degree of influence’ than in previous appointment processes.

The 1 for 7 Billion campaign welcomes the sense of urgency and significance that Mr Lykketoft attaches to this issue and looks forward to supporting his efforts to inject more transparency and inclusivity into the selection process for the next UN Secretary-General.

Click here for our take on the landmark resolution adopted on 11 September

Click here for our 22 September press briefing calling on journalists to play their part

Click here for our 60 second campaign video

Image: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe