Governments will soon submit letters of nomination for candidates to lead the 80-year-old organization, whose top job is traditionally rotated according to geographic region – although until now all U.N. chiefs have been men.
The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, the most representative body of the United Nations, on the recommendation of the 15 members of the Council.
An “important” responsibility
“As the year draws to a close, the Council moves closer to one of its most important responsibilities, the process of selecting the next Secretary-General,” said Danish Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen, co-chair of the informal working group on documentation and other procedural matters.
“In the coming months, the Council will discuss how it votes, how it engages with candidates, how it informs the broader membership of its progress and results.”
Russia assumed the council’s rotating presidency in October and Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said the country “quickly began working to reach an agreement” on the joint letter of invitation with the General Assembly inviting countries to submit their candidates.
“We are confident that the document will be adopted in a short time to officially launch this important process,” he said.
“We are convinced that the efforts of the Security Council will help facilitate the selection of the most worthy candidate for the future head of the Secretariat.
A female leader
The next UN secretary-general will serve a five-year term starting in January 2027, following the departure of Portugal’s current leader, António Guterres.
As no woman has ever held this position, the representative of Chile spoke in favor of an “open, participatory and inclusive process”.
“After 80 years, the time has come for a woman to lead this organization; a woman who, through her leadership and vision, can give the multilateral system the credibility it needs to respond to the challenges of our time,” he said.
“The principle of regional rotation must also be respected, and it is the turn of the Latin America and Caribbean region to lead this position,” he added.
Loraine Sievers, former head of the UN Security Council Secretariat, briefs the Security Council meeting on the Security Council’s working methods.
Productive meetings are important
More than 40 countries participated in the debate on the Council’s working methods, known as Note 507, adopted last December.
How meetings are conducted has become increasingly important over the past year, given the pressing crises on the agenda, said Loraine Sievers, former head of the office that supports the council’s daily work.
“Of course, people are mainly focused on the statements made here and voting on the draft resolutions,” she said.
“But even when Council members and non-member participants display very different positions, the Security Council and the UN itself can gain or lose credibility depending on how orderly and professionally Council meetings are conducted. »
