Principles for Integrity in UN Secretary-General Campaigns

The 1 for 8 Billion campaign encourages all Secretary-General candidates to publicly commit to upholding its Principles for Integrity in UN Secretary-General Campaigns. So far, three candidates have pledged to uphold the Principles: Michelle Bachelet, María Fernanda Espinosa, and Rebeca Grynspan (see below for more details on candidates’ responses).

The Principles reflect the spirit of transparency and accountability captured in successive General Assembly resolutions as well as other documents laying out expectations of the candidates from member states. Adhering to these commitments will increase public confidence in the United Nations and its leadership.

Principles for Integrity in UN Secretary-General Campaigns

In order to embody the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity in my campaign for UN Secretary-General, I commit to:

  1. Publishing financial disclosures and declaring conflicts of interest. I will publish updates on the sources and extent of my campaign funding regularly throughout the campaign period.

  2. Communicating clearly about my campaign platform and engaging with civil society, including by participating in town halls and other civil society-hosted events, to share my vision for the role and respond to feedback. My campaign platform will include clear and measurable goals for making the United Nations fit for purpose.

  3. Participating in structured and transparent processes in both the General Assembly and the Security Council. I will participate in interactive dialogues with the full UN membership at the General Assembly as well as consultations with the Security Council, and will circulate my vision statement in advance of these meetings. I encourage the Security Council to officially announce the results of its straw polls in order to promote transparency.

  4. Respecting Article 100 of the UN Charter. I will protect the principle of independence from member states, including with respect to appointments to senior posts.

  5. Avoiding conflicts of interest with my current UN position (if applicable). If I am currently serving as a UN official, I will ensure appropriate separation of my campaign activities and my official duties during the Secretary-General selection process. 

Candidate Responses

1 for 8 Billion has shared these Principles with all candidates and asked them to respond stating whether they would pledge to uphold them. The candidates have responded as follows:

On April 21, at her General Assembly interactive dialogue, Michelle Bachelet was asked by Norway on behalf of the ACT Group of 27 member states whether she would pledge to uphold 1 for 8 Billion’s Principles for Integrity and she responded yes. Bachelet later reaffirmed her commitment to the Principles at a public event hosted by UNA-UK in London on May 28, and further added her support for serving as a one-term Secretary-General.

On May 28, María Fernanda Espinosa and Rebeca Grynspan both responded yes when asked if they would commit to the Principles at a public event hosted by UNA-UK in London. Rafael Grossi responded that, while the Principles were “common sense,” he felt that as an elected official he could only commit to instruments that were produced by his organization’s policy-making bodies.

Macky Sall has not so far responded as to whether he would uphold the Principles.