Three of the five candidates to be the next UN Secretary-General have pledged to uphold the Principles for Integrity in UN Secretary-General Campaigns put forward by 1 for 8 Billion.

At a public event in London organized by the UN Association of the UK on 28 May, all participating candidates were asked whether they would commit to the Principles for Integrity. Three of the candidates responded yes: Michelle Bachelet, María Fernanda Espinosa, and Rebeca Grynspan.

Bachelet made news by adding that she also supports a single term in office for UN Secretaries-General – another reform advocated by 1 for 8 Billion. She is the only candidate to publicly support a single term in office.

Two candidates have not so far committed to upholding the Principles for Integrity. Rafael Grossi described the Principles as “common sense” but said he believed that, as a current elected official, he could only endorse instruments produced by the policy-making bodies of the institution he serves. Macky Sall did not participate in the UNA-UK event and has not indicated whether he would uphold the Principles for Integrity.

The Principles for Integrity outline five basic commitments intended to promote transparency and accountability for candidates seeking to be the next UN Secretary-General. These commitments relate to publicly disclosing financial support for their campaigns, engaging with civil society, participating in structured and transparent processes in the UN General Assembly and the Security Council, maintaining independence from member states during their campaigns, and avoiding conflicts of interest with current UN roles.

1 for 8 Billion has asked all candidates to pledge to uphold these five commitments, which are consistent with widely-held expectations among UN member states for candidates’ conduct during Secretary-General campaigns.

Image: The three candidates that have endorsed 1 for 8 Billion’s Principles participated in a further dialogue in Geneva on 9 June, moderated by international broadcaster and journalist, Zeinab Badawi. From left to right: Rebeca Grynspan, Zeinab Badawi, María Fernanda Espinosa and Michelle Bachelet. Photo(c) GWL Voices