The UN Charter is very generic about it, stating that “[t]he Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.” The General Assembly resolution 11 (I) of 24 January 1946 on the Terms of Appointment of Secretary General, gives slightly more guidance specifying that the candidate should obtain seven votes of UNSG, with concurring votes of the permanent members.
Furthermore, the Security Council deliberations and decision about the recommendation to the General Assembly regarding the appointment of the Secretary-General is not open to the public but takes place at private i.e. closed-door meetings. Eventually the Security Council is expected to “proffer one candidate only” to the General Assembly, which has been the consistent practice in the history of the UN.
When it comes to the nationality of the Secretary General, there is an informal regional rotation scheme of the Secretary General position. Also, it is a common practice for the regional groups (African, Asia-Pacific, Eastern European Group, Latin American and Caribbean, and Western European and the Others Group) to write a letter to the UN membership in support of a candidate, and such letters are brought to the attention of the Security Council.
So far, in practice, such procedures meant that Secretaries General were chosen behind closed doors by the Security Council and then endorsed by the General Assembly resolution appointing the Secretary General. It also offered little regional and gender balance; till now no female and no Eastern European was appointed for the office. The selection process was continuously criticised by civil society and public figures. Thus, in a run-up to the latest appointment of the Secretary General the United Nations applied a number of new procedures.
In December 2015 Presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council issued an open letter to Member States to solicit candidates and to set in motion the process of selecting and appointing the next Secretary General.
The letter could be perceived as a job announcement: it specified that the candidates should have proven leadership and managerial abilities, extensive experience in international relations, and strong diplomatic, communication and multilingual skills. It also encouraged female candidates and informed that the candidates would have an opportunity of informal meetings with the General Assembly and Security Council. There was six male and seven female candidates from three geographical regions – the largest number of formally presented candidates ever nominated for this position. Eventually 10 contested for the office.
From April ’til October 2016 the so-called informal dialogues/meetings of the candidates with the General Assembly took place, which could have resembled job interviews. Candidates were invited to provide a vision statement in advance of the informal dialogue, laying out their vision of the challenges and opportunities facing the UN and the next Secretary-General.
During the meeting each candidate was afforded an opportunity to present its candidature and to receive questions from Member States and civil society. The civil society questions – were an integral part of the informal dialogues, and the use of video-links, together with the live streaming of the dialogues, allowed for a wider public to follow the process.
In July 2016 the Security Council started informal straw polls of candidates for the position of the next Secretary-General. That part of the identifying the most suitable candidate was much less transparent, as the Council followed the provisions of the Resolution on Terms of Appointment of Secretary General and deliberated behind closed doors.
It was criticised by the President of the General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft, who stated (PDF) that “limiting the communication to the fact that the informal straw poll has taken place without any further detail adds little value and does not live up to the expectations of the membership and the new standard of openness and transparency.”
Eventually the information about the outcome of the informal straw polls became public (https://twitter.com/WFUNA/status/783703234485583872) and after six subsequent straw polls António Guterres was a clear leader. On the 6th of October 2016 the Security Council adopted by acclamation resolution 2311 (2016) recommending to the General Assembly that António Guterres be appointed Secretary General of the United Nations for a term of office from January 1st 2017 to December 31st 2021.
António Guterres is the ninth Secretary General of the United Nations and the fourth from Western European and the Others Group. His candidature was approved by all permanent members of the Security Council which gives him a strong mandate to act. The expectations regarding his impact on UN policies are high. The expectations of having a more inclusive process of appointing the Secretary General, which would not essentially boil down to the decision of the Security Council, will need to wait; same as the expectations of a female or an Eastern European Secretary General.
The selected candidate receives an appointment for five years with the possibility of an extension for another five years. So most likely, the successor of António Guterres will be appointed in 2027.
Where will you be at that time?
Will you be campaigning for a female Secretary General or for increased transparency and inclusiveness of the selection process?
Or maybe you will be one of those applying for the job?
Author: Daria Paprocka
