Senior UN officials and prospective candidates for the position of Secretary-General have spoken out in favour of further reforms to the process by which the UN leader is selected.
Historic letter to commence selection of next UN Secretary-General
1 for 7 Billion welcomes the ground-breaking joint letter to be sent by the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council on the appointment of the next UN Secretary-General in 2016. The letter marks – for the first time in the UN's history – the start of an official selection process for this crucial role.
World Federation of UN Associations backs calls for fairer Sec-Gen selection process
1 for 7 Billion urges Security Council to act now to start selection process
The 1 for 7 Billion campaign urges all members of the Security Council to agree to start the process of selecting the next UN Secretary-General immediately in a transparent and inclusive manner. The Presidents of the Council and the General Assembly should promptly write the joint letter that sets out the entire process and invites presentation of candidates ‘in a timely manner’.
Mark the UN’s 70th anniversary with an open and transparent process to select the next Secretary-General
Member States Call for UNSG Selection Reform at 70th UN General Assembly
From 28 September to 3 October, the 70th session of the UN General Assembly held its general debate at UN headquarters in New York. In line with the theme of the debate—“The United Nations at 70: a New Commitment to Action”—states from all regions took the opportunity to express their support for critical and timely changes to the appointment process for the Secretary-General.