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Campaign success: historic letter commences official selection of next UN leader

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Campaign success: historic letter commences official selection of next UN leader

As co-founder of the 1 for 7 Billion campaign, UNA-UK welcomes the ground-breaking joint letter sent to all member states by the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council on the appointment of the next UN Secretary-General in 2016.

The letter marks – for the first time in the UN's history – the start of an official selection process for this crucial role, which until now has been shrouded in secrecy. It takes forward the landmark General Assembly resolution, adopted by consensus in September, by calling for the nomination of qualified candidates according to a selection criteria.

Speaking on behalf of 1 for 7 Billion, Natalie Samarasinghe, Executive Director of UNA-UK, said:

“At last – some clarity about how the world will go about filling this crucial role... Top-quality names, particularly women, from all sectors and regions must now be put forward as soon as possible, to allow ample time for candidates to engage with all UN member states and with their constituency: the world's seven billion people. We must start a global conversation about what type of person we want in the hot seat, and what we want them to do when they get there.” 

Signed by General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft and Ambassador Samantha Power for the United States, which holds this month's Security Council Presidency, the letter stresses that the selection process will be guided by the principles of transparency and inclusivity. It encourages the presentation of both women and men as candidates, and calls for merit-based nominations based on clear selection criteria:

"We invite candidates to be presented with proven leadership and managerial abilities, extensive experience in international relations, and strong diplomatic, communication and multilingual skills."

The letter gives a clear role to the wider UN membership, with the General Assembly due to provide a forum for hearings with candidates. The letter also states that the Security Council will start its selection procedure by July 2016 and will make its recommendation to the General Assembly "in a timely manner‟ to give the newly appointed post holder “sufficient time to prepare for the job”.

Click here to read the joint letter

UK ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, was instrumental in securing the joint letter, which was met with some resistance by certain members of the Security Council. Following persistent campaigning and advocacy by UNA-UK, the UK Government has emerged as a leading proponent of the proposals tabled by our 1 for 7 Billion campaign. 

Now, UNA-UK is calling on governments, parliaments and civil society to put forward highly qualified candidates so that the best possible woman or man can be appointed. We urge all potential candidates to commit to making the process as open, transparent and principled as possible. We call on all candidates to: present publicly their vision and objectives; to refrain from reserving key senior positions for certain member states; and to participate actively in hearings with states and civil society.

We also encourage candidates to commit to serve a single, non-renewable term of office, possibly of seven years. Speaking to the New York Times, Natalie Samarasinghe argued that a single term would offer the Secretary-General “the political space needed to develop and implement a more independent, long-term and visionary agenda.” She added: “I feel that this reform is the one that will probably have the most impact, and the conversation on this issue is by no means over.” 

Click here to get involved with 1 for 7 Billion

Photo: Mogens Lykketoft, President of the UN General Assembly, addresses a press conference on the selection process for the next Secretary-General of the UN. Copyright UN Photo/Manuel Elias