Explainer: Nominations
Reducing patronage in the UN Secretary-General selection
This briefing shines a spotlight on the dynamics around nominations for Secretary-General, how the mechanism has evolved over time and suggestions for further improvement. It is part of a series of 1 for 8 Billion explainers on the key dimensions of the SecretaryGeneral selection process.
For the UN’s first 70 years, the process to select the UN Secretary-General was shrouded in secrecy, dominated by the five permanent members of the Security Council - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. There was no call for applications, no formal nominations, no public shortlist and little involvement from the wider UN membership beyond a rubber-stamping of the Security Council’s recommended candidate.
The 2015 call for nominations for the position of Secretary-General was a major breakthrough for transparency and inclusion. For the first time in the UN’s history, there was a clear process to apply for the UN’s top job and a mechanism for any UN member state to put forward a candidate.
1 for 8 Billion fought hard for this development and welcomed its introduction. However, the initial arrangement was not comprehensive and led to uncertainty over key questions like “who is allowed to nominate a candidate?” and “how are nominations withdrawn?” .
Please download the PDF to read our detailed explainer on nominations, including proposals for a stronger nominations process