17 March 2016: UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Mogens Lykketoft and the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) have invited civil society to pose questions to candidates for UN Secretary-General, with a recently extended deadline of 27 March. The candidates are expected to participate in informal dialogues with UN Member States in a series of meetings, on 12-14 April 2016. So far, seven governments have nominated candidates to succeed Ban Ki-moon, whose term expires at the end of 2016.

According to the UN Charter, the UN Secretary-General is appointed by the UNGA following the recommendation of the Security Council. Lykketoft said the interactive process will be “historic and potentially game-changing for the way the Secretary-General is appointed.” In a briefing on 11 January 2016, Lykketoft said the opportunity to interact with Member States “should be of interest to all serious candidates.”

According to a letter from Lykketoft on 25 February, candidates will be asked to provide a short vision statement in advance of the dialogues, which will be circulated to Member States and the public, and which could outline challenges and opportunities the candidate expects the UN and its next Secretary-General to encounter, including in peace and security, sustainable development, human rights, humanitarian response and issues pertaining to managing the UN.

Each candidate will be offered a two-hour meeting slot, during which UN Member States may ask questions and interact with the candidate. One or two representatives from civil society will also be able to ask questions, “time permitting,” and the meetings will be open and webcast. Additional meetings will be organized for any candidates that may still be submitted, but Lykketoft has encouraged Member States to present all candidacies in time for the April dialogues.

UN-NGLS is facilitating the selection of the civil society organizations to participate in the dialogues, as well as suggested questions to be posed to candidates. Questions can be posed in writing, video or audio, and can be submitted by email, online form, Twitter (#UNSGcandidates), or Instagram. The questions that have been submitted can be viewed online.

The seven candidates who have been presented by their governments are: Irina Bokova (Bulgaria); Natalia Gherman (Republic of Moldova); António Guterres (Portugal); Srgjan Kerim (former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia); Igor Luksic (Montenegro); Vesna Pusic (Croatia); and Danilo Turk (Slovenia).

By Resolution 69/321 of 11 September 2015, the UNGA agreed to conduct informal dialogues or meetings with candidates for the position of Secretary-General, without prejudice to any candidate who does not participate, to contribute to the transparency and inclusivity of the process. In December 2015, Lykketoft and Security Council President Samantha Power issued a joint letter to Member States soliciting candidates, officially starting the selection and appointment process.

Other initiatives around the selection of the next Secretary-General include a Group of Friends in favor of a woman candidate, which is organized by the Permanent Mission of Colombia and includes over 50 countries. Member States have also been discussing a proposal for the next Secretary-General to serve a single term, in contrast to the traditional five-year term that can be renewed once. The civil society campaign ‘1 for 7 Billion’ sent a letter to all official candidates, urging them to take steps to promote transparency and make the office of the Secretary-General more independent. The Elders also have outlined recommendations on the selection of the next Secretary-General. [UN-NGLS Platform for Posting Questions to Candidates] [Submitted Questions for Candidates] [Letter of UNGA President, 25 Feb] [UNGA President Press Conference, 26 Feb] [UN Press Release, 26 Feb] [UNGA President Remarks, 24 Feb] [Official Candidates for UN Secretary-General] [UNGA President’s Webpage on Selection Procedure] [UNGA Press Briefing, 11 January] [IISD RS Story on Official Start of Selection Process] [1 for 7 Billion Campaign] [The Elders’ Proposals] [UNelections Campaign Update] [Security Council Report Blog]