Following last month’s candidate hearings in the General Assembly, and ahead of the Security Council’s deliberations on candidates expected to begin in July, there is a window of opportunity for the General Assembly to express its views on candidates.
Article 97 of the UN Charter states that the “Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.” The Charter further states that Security Council members act on “behalf” of General Assembly (GA) members in discharging its duties (Article 24).
It is important for the integrity of the process and the legitimacy of the outcome that the Security Council’s recommendation on candidates be guided by the views of the General Assembly.
However, at present there is no scientific method to establish the sentiments of the GA with respect to the suitability of candidates, requiring the Council to rely on guesswork and informal conversations behind closed doors. A more accountable, empirical method should be used to establish the wider UN membership’s views on their preferred candidate(s).
This explainer highlights three options for states in the GA to indicate their preferences on candidates, while preserving the Council’s Charter-assigned responsibility on candidate recommendation:
Straw polls in the General Assembly
Accumulating co-nominators
Public endorsements by member states