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.

1 for 8 Billion welcomes the beginning of public campaigning for Guterres' successor and praises Chile and Costa Rica for making the early announcement of strong women leaders as  contenders for the role of the next Secretary-General.