1 for 8 Billion news
Negotiations kicked off this month on the biennial General Assembly resolution focusing on the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other executive heads. This opportunity to improve appointment processes at the UN must be seized. This article outlines a series of reform proposals which merit consideration in these negotiations.
On 9 February 2023, states in the General Assembly expressed strong support for the reforms that transformed the SG selection process in 2016 while expressing a desire to further strengthen the process. Many states also expressed a desire to improve issues relating to the appointment of other executive heads.
Today, the Forward initiative announced its own “candidate” to stand for the position of UN Secretary-General: Ecuadorian politician, Rosalía Arteaga Serrano. Forward is a civil society initiative that seeks to hold “progressive primaries to find a people-backed candidate to run for Secretary-General”.
The President of the General Assembly is inviting civil society organizations to submit questions, a selection of which will be put to Mr Guterres during his General Assembly hearing on 7 May. This meeting represents a rare opportunity to hold the UN Secretary-General to account - submit your question before 30 April!
The debate showed full consensus for the consolidation and re-application of 2015-16 gains, which firmly establishes the practice that member states should be able to nominate a candidate even when an incumbent is standing for a second term, as has been the case this year (even if no member state chose to do so).
There are various elements around the requirement for state backing and the recognition of official candidates that remain unsettled and for which 1 for 7 Billion urges further clarity. This short paper discusses these issues while also highlighting broader opportunities to build on the achievements of 2015/16.
UN Secretary-General-designate, António Guterres, has backed 1 for 7 Billion’s calls for strong civil society engagement with the United Nations at an informal meeting of the General Assembly.UN Secretary-General-designate, António Guterres, has backed 1 for 7 Billion’s calls for strong civil society engagement with the United Nations at an informal meeting of the General Assembly.
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.
