1 for 8 Billion commentary on the zero draft

On 26 May the “zero draft” of a new General Assembly resolution on the Secretary-General selection process was circulated by the co-facilitators of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly (AHWG): Ambassador Mathu Joyini of South Africa and Ambassador Cornel Feruță of Romania. This will be the last formal opportunity to agree on new rules before the commencement of the process to select the next Secretary-General, expected later this year.

Click here to read the zero draft

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 (see below), overall, 1 for 8 BIllion welcomes the draft as a positive foundation to build on. In particular, we welcome the ambition for a more inclusive and prominent role for the General Assembly and note the importance of securing agreement on a clear timeline, advisory votes on candidates in the General Assembly and an unequivocal call for a woman SG.

Highlights

The following elements of the zero draft could contribute significant improvements to the upcoming selection process (1 for 8 Billion commentary in italics):

“The joint letter will be issued no later than the first week of November the year preceding the end of the incumbent’s term”

Communicating a clear start date for the upcoming race is a vital part of a more transparent and structured race, enabling applicants to prepare their candidacies and ensuring that there is sufficient time for a thorough, rigorous process. 1 for 8 Billion advocates that the process starts as early as possible in the 80th session.

“The candidates may be nominated by one Member State or by a group of Member States; each Member State may nominate only one candidate, individually or jointly with other Member States”

This language is useful as it dispels the unhelpful misconception that states can only nominate their own nationals. Breaking the link between the nationality of the nominator and the nominee may also help assert and communicate the independence of the future Secretary-General, in line with Article 100 of the UN Charter which states that “the Secretary-General and the staff shall not seek or receive instructions from any government or from any other authority external to the Organization”. It also may make for a more accessible race, providing a clear route for would-be applicants who may not have the backing of their own Government to seek nomination from elsewhere. The rule of one candidate per state/group of states appears to be an attempt to tighten up a loophole which in 2016 allowed a member state (Bulgaria) to nominate two of its citizens for the role.

“The nominating Member State(s) shall notify the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council of the withdrawal of the candidate it submitted anytime during the process and the candidate shall be considered automatically withdrawn”

A measure like this would help to clear up the process for the withdrawal of candidates. However, care should be taken to ensure that the candidacy has agency in the process; for example: if a candidate’s nominating state(s) withdraws their candidate, the candidate should be given reasonable time to obtain an alternative nominator - only If this is not possible should the candidate be considered withdrawn. This is consistent with the principle that, in order for a candidacy to become official, the candidate must have the backing of at least one member state.

“Candidates are requested to disclose during the campaign their sources of funding”

This is a helpful strengthening of the previous resolution agreed in 2023, which merely “invited” candidates to “voluntarily disclose” their campaign financing. It still falls short of what 1 for 8 Billion has been advocating, namely, that along with submission of vision statements and participation in candidate hearings with civil society and General Assembly member states, candidates must disclose all finances associated with their candidacy (and to keep the President of the General Assembly updated in this regard) as a prerequisite of their candidacy.

“Candidates holding positions in the UN system are requested to suspend their activity during the campaign, with a view to avoid any conflict of interest that may arise from their functions and adjacent advantages”

1 for 8 Billion does not take a position on this. On the one hand, UN officials have clearly in the past used their UN platform to their advantage - for example through travel to prominent capitals under the guise of their current employment presumably in search of support for their candidacy. On the other hand, insisting on suspension of employment could raise the threshold for candidates to come forward and also cause complications for the UN’s operations in various major UN entities, if, as 1 for 8 Billion hopes, a strong field of candidates with senior UN experience, are nominated.

“The President of the General Assembly will convene, during the first trimester of the election year, dedicated interactive livestreamed hearing(s) of UN Member States with each candidate”

1 for 8 Billion welcomes the commitment to the continuation of candidate hearings in the General Assembly and hopes the introduction of the word “interactive” hints at the need for much more dynamic event formats which may include inter alia, ad hoc supplementary questions as well as written questions and answers ahead of time to enable a richer exchange during the event. Consideration should also be given to thematic and/or regional dialogues with candidates. 1 for 8 Billion also advocates that all candidate hearings should feature questions from civil society and other stakeholders alongside member states”

“The President of the General Assembly will convene a separate town hall of Member States with all the candidates inviting also the participation of civil society holding ECOSOC observer status”

The phrasing of this could be interpreted as multiple candidates being on stage at the same time, or a separate event for each candidate. 1 for 8 Billion welcomes the concept of a dedicated civil society hearing for each candidate although we advocate for a more permissive approach to civil society participation: in 2016 civil society questions were sought for candidate hearings without the restrictive ECOSOC status requirement - any civil society participation should be based on best practice on accessibility, not a rollback on permissibility.

“Concurrently with the Security Council, the President of the General Assembly will conduct informal straw polls in the General Assembly by secret ballot”

Perhaps the most important reform in the resolution. At present, the Security Council holds straw polls to determine their preferred candidates, but inexplicably there is no similar process or mechanism for gauging the views of the wider membership to inform the Security Council’s recommendation. Putting in place such a mechanism – straw polls, advisory votes or similar – for the General Assembly would help to ensure alignment between the two principal organs, and the complementary roles they are assigned in the UN Charter. It would also give candidates unlikely to gain the required support the opportunity to withdraw their candidacies. In keeping with best practice on UNGA voting (including for elections of Presidents, previous votes on the appointment of the Secretary-General and elections of the Human Rights Council and Security Council members), the votes should be held by secret ballot.

“Calls upon the Security Council to enhance the transparency of its internal deliberations, including by making public the results of any deliberations, and by informing the General Assembly of its progress through the regularized channel of communication between the Presidents of the two organs”

The overall outcomes of straw polls or any other deliberative mechanism, whether in the General Assembly or the Security Council, must be made public. During the last appointment process, near-instantaneous leaks of the Security Council straw poll results by delegates highlighted the futility of attempting to keep the process closed.

“Prior to its formal appointment decision, the General Assembly shall hold an interactive session with any candidates recommended by the Security Council, ensuring continued engagement with the membership, aimed at providing an opportunity for the candidates to publicly address questions regarding their vision, priorities, and commitment to the principles and responsibilities of the United Nations, thereby reinforcing the transparency and accountability in the selection process”

Whether or not multiple candidates are recommended to the General Assembly by the Security Council, there must be a moment for the General Assembly to actively consider recommendations, not rubberstamp a fait accompli. It should also be in the driving seat when it comes to setting the terms of the appointment, including the renewability and length of the term of office. This is essential not only for reasserting the role that the Assembly plays in making the appointment, but also for ensuring that the next Secretary-General has the active backing of the wider membership – at a time when perceptions of the Security Council are arguably at a low point, and when the leadership requirements of the Organization need regular testing given unprecedented levels of turbulence.

“Candidates are encouraged to make known during the campaign their intended Deputy Secretary General choice to assist with the plan of implementing the vision statement, with a view to fostering transparency, gender balance and regional representation”

1 for 8 Billion has long supported this proposal. Candidates revealing their choice of Deputy Secretary-General would add an additional layer of transparency and accountability. The reform will increase public scrutiny of UN leadership and could encourage candidates to run as cross-regional teams—bringing broader expertise, diverse perspectives, and reducing unhelpful pressures around regional rotation. The Deputy Secretary-General is recommended by the Secretary-General (once in office) but must be confirmed by the General Assembly.

“The selection process shall end with the swearing into office by the Secretary-General-designate, as contained in annex I of resolution 77/335, to be administered during a dedicated session of the High-Level General Debate in September, in the presence of Heads of State and Government of Member States”

This measure could bring a positive boost in political and public interest in the role of the UN Secretary-General and give the successful candidate a high-profile moment to get buy in for their vision and plans for the United Nations

“Deploring the fact that no woman has ever held the position of Secretary General during the 80 years of existence of the UN and recognizing the growing global expectations for better representation of women, including at the helm of the United Nations, calls upon Member States to strongly consider nominating women as candidates for the position of UN Secretary-General in the upcoming and subsequent selection processes”

While the tone is fairly strident, the text as it stands stops well short of an unequivocal call that the General Assembly intends to break the 80 year spell of male leadership by appointing a woman Secretary-General. 1 for 8 Billion hopes that the text is strengthened over the course of negotiations to add some concrete actions, such as committing to only consider the nomination of women candidates or the General Assembly standing ready to reject an inappropriate candidate.

“With a view to ensuring increased effectiveness of the mandate and allow an increased regional representation, the term of office of the Secretary General shall be 7 years, non-renewable”

1 for 8 Billion has advocated for this proposal since we launched in 2014. While we acknowledge there are coherent arguments on both sides, on balance we believe that a longer, non-renewable term will boost the independence of the officeholder. The single term supports this objective through not requiring the officeholder to run for re-appointment therefore lessening the extent to which they are beholden to the interests of individual Member States, notably the most powerful members of the Security Council who continue to dominate the prospects of an incumbent’s reselection. Click here for our 2016 briefing on this issue.

“All Member States should support the independence of candidates for Secretary-General through strict observance of Article 100 of the Charter, including by undertaking not to seek promises from candidates on appointments to senior posts;”

The observance of this request is vital to the integrity of the selection process and the independence of the next Secretary-General. In the past, P5 members have been able to extract promises to reserve senior UN posts for their own nationals from candidates in exchange for support for their candidacy, thus bypassing properly competitive selection procedures and requirements. The practice was condemned by the independent group of global leaders, the Elders, in 2015. The call should be strengthened to demand that all states desist from such practices and for all candidates to avoid any clandestine appointment-related arrangements.

What’s missing

Multiple candidates - while there is positive language in the zero draft stating that “the Security Council will make a recommendation on a candidate or candidates” (emphasis added) to the General Assembly, the draft stops short of making a clear request for the Security Council to present multiple candidates for the General Assembly to choose between. Without such a clear request it is likely the Security Council will defer to guidance dating back to 1946 (GA Res 1(11)) when the General Assembly stated that it would be “desirable” for the Security Council to present a single candidate for the General Assembly’s consideration. 1 for 8 Billion believes the Security Council should give the General Assembly a meaningful choice by providing it with a shortlist of two or more candidates - a reform consistent with the UN Charter and supported by an overwhelming majority of UN Member States. See our briefing on multiple candidates for more info (page 8).

Strengthening civil society participation - while 1 for 8 BIllion welcomes the zero draft’s introduction of the of dedicated civil society town hall meetings with candidates, this is the only mention of civil society participation. Given the push-back against civil society space within the international system it would be desirable for the resolution to acknowledge the positive contribution made by civil society in previous selection processes and assert the various ways to enhance the inclusion of civil society in future processes. This includes encouraging states to work together with civil society to publicise the call for nominations in order to identify qualified candidates from all backgrounds and encouraging all candidates to engage positively with civil society. It would also be positive for the General Assembly to make civil society welcome during future meetings of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly - where the rules of the selection process are discussed.

No monopolies on top UN jobs - as well as SG selection, this resolution is meant to deal with the selection of other executive heads. However there is no mention of the detrimental practice of repeatedly giving powerful UN jobs to nationals from powerful countries - a practice informally known as ‘ringfencing’. We hope member states will introduce language to insist on an end to this discriminatory practice which denies the UN the experience and expertise of a large swathe of talented individuals from around the world. See Blue Smoke’s report on ringfencing for more info.

Racial discrimination in senior appointments - 1 for 8 Billion has called for the AHWG to extend its scope on executive heads to tackle the issue of racial discrimination within senior appointments, better aligning the equality principles it advocates for Member States with its internal practices. The General Assembly should recommend that the Secretariat commits to collecting and publishing UN-wide data disaggregated by race to facilitate regular assessments of the racial composition of its personnel at all job levels, including senior leadership positions. See report by 1 for 8 Billion steering committee member Brazilian NGO Plataforma CIPÓ for more info.

Prerequisites - there is nothing in the zero draft to insist that all candidates take part in all aspects of the selection process. This major omission leaves open the possibility of the so called 'dark horse' tactic, where nominations are held back to see how the process develops with the prospect of parachuting the candidate in at the last moment without due process or scrutiny. Candidates’ vision statements, financial disclosures, GA and civil society interactive sessions, facing GA and SC deliberative mechanisms (straw polls or similar) should all be prerequisites of the process for any candidate to be considered for appointment.

CEDAW General Recommendation No. 40 - Last year CEDAW’s 165 States Parties determined to reach “the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems”. This requires states under Article 8 of the CEDAW Convention to guarantee women’s equal representation in the leadership roles of international organisations. The upcoming resolution should welcome the adoption of General Recommendation No. 40 and acknowledge its relevance to the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other executive heads

Succession planning - from extensive interviews with diplomats and UN experts it is clear there is a large degree of confusion over what happens should there be an interruption to an SG’s tenure. This poses potential risks to the organization. The AHWG should bolster the GA’s preparedness by agreeing a plan of action should a Secretary-General become unable or unwilling to discharge their duties. Such a plan should trigger automatically a clearly defined process that is geared towards the earliest possible return to standard operations. This means addressing both interim arrangements and how to move swiftly to a robust, fair, open and inclusive selection process for their successor. For more detailed analysis and recommendations see steering committee member UNA-UK’s report.

More resources

Image: Philemon Yang, President of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, meets with the co-facilitators of the AHWG Ambassador Mathu Joyini of South Africa and Ambassador Cornel Feruță of Romania.