A useful route for a member state to indicate support for a candidate is by adding its backing as a ‘co-nominator’ for their preferred candidate. This option has the advantage over straw polls in that it could be led organically by member states and would be formally recorded on the candidate page of the UN’s website.

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. This explainer outlines three options.

1 for 8 Billion is at the UN to follow the interactive dialogues with Secretary-General candidates, where they are facing questions from member states and civil society. Read our key takeaways from each session.

1 for 8 Billion partners with 14 leading NGOs to analyze candidates’ policy positions on core UN challenges.

1 for 8 Billion asks all candidates to uphold five commitments during their SG campaigns.

The President of the General Assembly has announced the schedule for interactive dialogues with all UN Secretary-General candidates taking place on the 21 and 22 of April. The dialogues will be broadcast live on UN Web TV.

1 for 8 Billion has campaigned for financial transparency and declarations of conflicts of interest in the Secretary-General selection process since launching in 2014. This briefing looks at the rules around campaign financing and disclosures by candidates in the 2026 race.

On 25 March, the Maldives withdrew its nomination of Virginia Gamba as a candidate for UN Secretary-General. The Maldives had nominated Gamba just two weeks earlier on 12 March.

Yesterday Chile announced that it is withdrawing its support for Secretary-General candidate Michelle Bachelet, a candidate Chile nominated together with Brazil and Mexico on 2 February. Bachelet’s candidacy remains intact since her nomination retains the support of two nominating states. 

This briefing shines a spotlight on the dynamics around nominations for Secretary-General, how the mechanism has evolved over time and suggestions for further improvement. It is part of a briefing series on the key dimensions of the process.

1 for 8 Billion is delighted to welcome Aditi Gorur as its new Campaign Coordinator. Aditi brings more than 15 years of experience working on UN reform and multilateral peace and security.

This article, originally published by Southern Voice, examines the UN Secretary-General selection process against the backdrop of the current crisis of multilateral leadership and reflects the authors’ joint analysis at the time of publication.

Women leaders from all regions and backgrounds gathered in Madrid this week to advocate for a gender-equal international system and to mobilise for the appointment of the UN’s first woman Secretary-General. 

On 26 January, 1 for 8 Billion briefed UK Parliamentarians on the upcoming Secretary-General selection process at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the United Nations.

The President of the General Assembly has announced that she will hold hearings for candidates during the week beginning 20 April 2026.

1 for 8 Billion has put together a comprehensive set of resources on the formal qualifications and person specification for the role of Secretary-General, and recommendations for the structuring and assessment of vision statements and candidate hearings. 

On 15 December, during the Security Council’s open debate on “Leadership for Peace” states discussed the competencies and skills required for the next leader of the United Nations while outlining proposals to make the current selection process more inclusive and transparent.

1 for 8 Billion has sent an open letter to all UN member states signed by over 200 organisations and over 300 civil society leaders, lawyers, academics, humanitarian workers and UN staffers.

As the race gets underway to select the UN’s leader for the 2027-2031 term, here are the key rules and conventions to guide the process. This guide was originally published by PassBlue on 18 November 2025. It was written by 1 for 8 Billion’s Ben Donaldson and has been updated to reflect the official start of the race.

Today the Presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council jointly sent a letter to all UN Member States marking the official start of the UN Secretary-General selection process. The letter states that the process will be “guided by the principles of transparency and inclusivity and in a structured and timely manner” while outlining key rules for the selection.