On Friday 7 May 2021 at 10 a.m. (EDT) incumbent UN Secretary-General António Guterres will appear before the General Assembly to answer questions on his performance over the past 5 years and present his vision for a second term in office. The meeting will be broadcast live on UN Web TV.
The President of the General Assembly, Mr Volkan Bozkir, is inviting civil society organizations and individuals to submit questions, a selection of which will be put to Mr Guterres during the event. This meeting represents a rare opportunity to hold the UN Secretary-General to account and we urge those in our network to make use of the opportunity and submit a question.
Submit your questions here by 30 April 2021
Currently Mr Guterres is the only candidate recognised by the President of the General Assembly and the Security Council. Should this change, additional General Assembly hearings may be scheduled and the same submission portal will be used to source further questions.
While the 1 for 7 Billion campaign welcomes the inclusion of civil society questions in candidates’ official General Assembly hearings, we note that the format allows limited time for a thorough exchange and have consistently called for the President of the General Assembly to consider facilitating further opportunities for civil society participation, including through live interactions at a global town hall event or similar.
We welcome the recent intervention on this matter from ACT - a coalition of 25 small and medium-sized states calling for greater accountability, coherence and transparency of the Security Council - which reinforces this position as well as specifically asking that modalities on 7 May allow “ample time for civil society organisation questions to be heard and answered”.
Read 1 for 7 Billion's latest analysis on the selection process
Visit the submission portal to pose your question to candidate(s)
Read the President of the General Assembly’s letter on the dialogues
See the UN’s dedicated page on the selection and appointment process
Read Mr Guterres’ Vision Statement
See the 1 for 7 Billion discussion paper on unsettled elements of the 2021 selection process, and what needs to be done to build on the 2015/16 reforms
Read the Together First campaign’s call for merit-based appointments at the UN
Image: Secretary-General Holds Town Hall for Civil Society Associated with CSW, 2017 (c) UN Photo