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On 19 October, Secretary-General-designate António Guterres, "in listening mode," met with the UN General Assembly during an informal meeting of the plenary in preparation for his assumption of office. William Pace of the World Federalist Movement - Institute for Global Policy presented the following statement on behalf of the 1 for 7 Billion campaign.
On 13 October, the General Assembly appointed António Guterres as the next UN Secretary-General by acclamation.Every speaker - including the President of the General Assembly, the current Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and representatives of all five UN regions - praised this year’s selection process as the most transparent, principled and merit-based appointment of the UN Secretary-General in the 70-year history of the United Nations.
António Guterres has been announced as the “clear favourite” for Secretary-General by the UN Security Council, according to Council President Vitaly Churkin. It is expected that a resolution to recommend Mr Guterres for the post will be agreed on by acclamation in the Security Council tomorrow at 10am EST.
In a letter released yesterday, 1 for 7 Billion called on P5 members to identify themselves during a formal ballot should their negative vote prevent an otherwise successful candidate for the position of UN Secretary-General receiving the minimum number of nine positive votes - the threshold necessary for endorsement as the Security Council’s preferred choice.
On Tuesday 3 October, Bulgaria's candidate for UN Secretary-General, Kristalina Georgieva, took part in an "informal dialogue" with the UN General Assembly. Having spearheaded a more open, inclusive process, the 1 for 7 Billion campaign welcomes Ms Georgieva's engagement with the wider UN membership - an unprecedented addition to this year's selection process.
