UNRIC Library Backgrounder: Appointment of the Secretary-General – Selected Online Resources

PDF

Appointment Process
https://www.un.org/sg/en/appointment.shtml

Ask DAG! (Dag Hammarskjöld Library – Frequently Asked Questions about the UN)
How is the Secretary-General of the United Nations appointed?
How is the Secretary-General of the United Nations chosen?
http://ask.un.org/faq/97048

 

Press Releases

Official Documents

  • A/77/942 (29 June 2023): Report of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly: https://undocs.org/A/77/942
    Submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 75/325.
    “Annex: Updated inventory chart of General Assembly resolutions on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly, issued pursuant to resolution 75/325”: p. 24-99.

 

Looking Back: Appointment Process 2021

President of the 75th Session of the General Assembly:  Selection and Appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations
https://www.un.org/pga/75/sg-selection/

 

Official Documents

  • A/RES/75/286: Appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations: Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 18 June 2021: http://undocs.org/A/RES/75/286
  • A/75/912 (8 June 2021): Letter dated 8 June 2021 from the President of the Security Council to the President of the General Assembly: http://undocs.org/A/75/912
    Reports that the Security Council, at its 8789th meeting, held in private on 8 June 2021, adopted by acclamation resolution 2580 (2021) which recommends to the General Assembly that António Guterres be appointed Secretary-General of the UN for a 2nd term of office from 1 Jan. 2022 to 31 Dec. 2026.
  • A/75/902 (1 June 2021): Request for the inclusion of an additional item in the agenda of the 75th session: appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations: letter dated 1 June 2021 from the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations addressed to the President of the General Assembly: http://undocs.org/A/75/902
    “Annex: Explanatory memorandum”: p. 2.
  • A/75/780-S/2021/179 (25 February 2021): Letter dated 5 February 2021 from the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council addressed to all Permanent Representatives and Permanent Observers to the United Nations: http://undocs.org/A/75/780
    Invites Member States to present candidates for the selection and appointment of the next Secretary-General of the UN.
  • S/2021/27 (11 January 2021): Letter dated 11 January 2021 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council: http://undocs.org/S/2021/27
    Informs that António Guterres stands ready to serve a 2nd term as Secretary-General.
  • A/RES/69/321 (22 September 2015): Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly: resolution / adopted by the General Assembly: http://undocs.org/A/RES/69/321
    para 32-44: Selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other executive heads
  • Further documentsclick here

 

UN News Centre

 

 

Non-UN Sources

 

 

Looking Back: Appointment Process 2016

President of the 70th Session of the General Assembly:  Procedure of Selecting and Appointing the next UN Secretary-General
https://www.un.org/pga/71/sg/
The letters submitted by Member States for presenting candidates for the position of the next United Nations Secretary-General are published here and videos on the selection progress can be viewed.

UN Pulse (Dag Hammarskjöld Library)
United Nations Secretary-General: Did You Know?
Did you know a new Secretary-General will be appointed in 2016?
https://tmblr.co/ZE4p7x23rYYfD

United Nations Blog – Selecting the United Nations Secretary-General (7 January 2016)
https://web.archive.org/web/20160108015359/http://blogs.un.org/blog/2016/01/07/selecting-the-united-nations-secretary-general/
explains the appointment process by discussing the questions how the Secretary-General is selected, who were the previous Secretaries-General and who will be the next Secretary-General; also lists fun facts and links to further information

UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS)
Civil society: Propose questions for UN Secretary-General Candidates
https://www.un.org/pga/70/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/06/SG-Candidates-Responses-10-Civil-Society-Questions-4-Candidates.pdf
The President of the General Assembly (PGA) is organizing informal dialogues between UN Member States and SG candidates starting in April 2016.
The Office of the PGA has requested UN-NGLS to facilitate a process with civil society to provide questions that can be asked to candidates during these dialogues.

 

Official Documents

  • A/RES/71/4 (13 October 2016): Appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations: http://undocs.org/A/RES/71/4
  • A/71/531 (7 October 2016): Letter dated 6 October 2016 from the President of the Security Council to the President of the General Assembly: http://undocs.org/A/71/531
    Reports that the Security Council, at its 7782nd meeting, held in private on 6 Oct. 2016, adopted by acclamation resolution 2311 (2016) which recommends to the General Assembly that António Guterres be appointed Secretary-General of the UN for a term of office from 1 Jan. 2017 to 31 Dec. 2021.
  • S/RES/2311 (2016): http://undocs.org/S/RES/2311(2016)
    on recommendation that António Guterres be appointed Secretary-General of the UN for a term of office from 1 Jan. 2017 to 31 Dec. 2021

 

UN News Centre

 

Non-UN Sources

1 September 2023
not an official document – for information only
https://unric.org/en/unric-library-backgrounder-sg-appointment

 

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