The President of the General Assembly (PGA) Ms Annalena Baerbock has announced that she will hold hearings for candidates nominated for the position of Secretary-General during the week beginning 20 April 2026.
Noting that at present there is only one candidate, Ms Baerbock urged additional candidates to come forward before 1 April to ensure their participation in the late April hearings. Reiterating the point a at press conference, the PGA expressed hope for rich discussions on the three pillars of the UN’s work with multiple candidates, explaining “I’m calling for further nominations…if we have only one candidate there won’t be many discussions”.
Addressing the absence of a woman SG in the UN’s 80 year history, Ms Baerbock echoed the language of various GA resolutions and encouraged states to strongly consider the nomination of women. In her remarks to member states, the PGA said: this “is our chance to send a clear message about who we are and what we stand for. The next Secretary-General will not only be the face and voice of this institution, our choice will also tell whether this organization is truly serving all of humanity, half of whom are women and girls.”
The PGA’s position captures the zeitgeist articulated by a large swathe of member states during an open debate held at the Security Council in December 2025. See below for the full statement from the PGA and click here to read 1 for 8 Billion’s write up of the December meeting.
1 for 8 Billion’s joint research with the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders and the NYU School of Professional Studies Center for Global Affairs shows that a growing majority of states show strong commitment to the appointment of a woman SG while a recent 1 for 8 Billion open letter calling for a woman SG has the backing of over 500 prominent NGOs and civil society leaders.
In an apparent response to concerns that some member states are stepping back from commitments on the SDGs, the climate and human rights, Ms Baerbock announced that “we are looking for a candidate, and many many member states have made this clear that this is the expectation from them towards the PGA, who is standing with both feet on the principles of the UN Charter and on all three pillars of the UN’s work, which are interconnected: Peace and security, development and climate crisis, and human rights ”.
The format of the hearings - what role for civil society?
Indicating the difficult operating environment at the UN, the PGA remarked that in these times “preserving and defending” the process is the priority, while “building on the little steps of progress we have seen in the past 10 years”
From the General Assembly’s side, Ms Baerbock was clear that she had a strong mandate for an inclusive and transparent approach. She emphasised that the hearings will be “very interactive” with civil society organisations present in the room and given the chance to engage with candidates. She further remarked that journalists would be given the opportunity to interact with candidates.
1 for 8 Billion wrote to the President of the General Assembly in 2025, outlining our recommendations for the format of the hearings and calling for meaningful civil society inclusion. See our briefing for GA reforms and ultimate guide to the selection process for more information.
President of the General Assembly Baerbock’s remarks on the selection process (Excerpt from her briefing to member states on “Priorities for the Resumed 80th Session of the General Assembly")
The selection of the next Secretary-General will be the other main priority during this year.
That process is now underway.
And I’m pleased to announce that interactive dialogues with the candidates for the position of Secretary-General have been scheduled for the week of April 20th.
During the interactive dialogues each candidate will be given the opportunity to present her or his vision statement and take your questions. Civil society organizations will also have the opportunity to engage with all candidates.
In this regard, I invite Member States to submit qualified candidates early and ahead of time to ensure their participation in the dialogues in April, while encouraging to strongly consider the nomination of women.
In a time of heavy headwinds to this institution, the process of selecting the next Secretary-General is our chance to send a clear message about who we are and what we stand for.
The next Secretary-General will not only be the face and voice of this institution, our choice will also tell whether this organization is truly serving all of humanity, half of whom are women and girls.
It is a choice that will determine how we address pressing global challenges, from conflicts and climate change to inequality.
We need someone who is up to the task at hand; who can chart a path to the future, while passionately defending the principles of our Charter.
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Image: Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th session of the General Assembly, briefs reporters following her remarks to the General Assembly on 14 January 2026. (c) UN Photo/Evan Schneider