15 December 2015: The President of the UN Security Council, Samantha Power (US), and the President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Mogens Lykketoft, have issued a joint letter inviting candidates for the next UN Secretary-General, and outlining criteria for the role. “The wish is that the [UN] membership, for the first time in UN history, is included totally in the discussion of the next Secretary-General,” Lykketoft told reporters on 15 December 2015, following the letter’s release.

The letter follows the UNGA’s adoption in September 2015 of Resolution 69/321, which addresses the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other executive heads, and was discussed under the agenda item on Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. Lykketoft noted that “until now, the selection of the Secretary-General has been “very secretive and involving mostly – or only – the permanent five members of the Security Council” (China, France, Russia, UK and US).

On submission of candidatures, the letter asks Member States to present candidates in a letter to the Presidents of the UNGA and Security Council, and says the Presidents will jointly circulate the names of candidates to all Member States on an ongoing basis.

On interaction between candidates and Member States, the letter notes that candidates will have the opportunity to hold informal dialogues or meetings with the members of the Assembly and Council. In the 15 December press conference, Lykketoft expressed his hope that in late March and early April, the Assembly will hold meetings, informal discussions and presentations of candidates.

On criteria for candidates, the letter echoes the criteria set out in Resolution 69/321, calling for a Secretary-General with “the highest standards of eff!ciency, competence and integrity, and a firm commitment to the purposes and principles” of the UN Charter, as well as “proven leadership and managerial abilities, extensive experience in international relations, and strong diplomatic, communication and multilingual skills.”

On the timeline for the Council’s selection process, the letter indicates that the Security Council will begin its selection at the end of July 2016. Candidates can be presented throughout the process, although the Council’s deliberations will be helped by early presentation, the letter says, without specifying an end date for submission of candidacies. The Security Council will make its recommendation on a candidate to the UNGA “in a timely manner,” to allow the newly appointed Secretary-General sufficient time to prepare for the job. The next Secretary-General will assume the role in January 2017.

The letter states that the selection and appointment process will be guided by the principles of transparency and inclusivity, in addition to being in accordance with Article 97 of the UN Charter.

On the gender of candidates, the two presidents indicate they are “convinced of the need to guarantee equal opportunities for women and men in gaining access to senior decision-making positions.” Accordingly, they encourage Member States to “consider presenting women, as well as men, as candidates.” On geographic representation of candidates, the presidents “note the regional diversity” of previous Secretaries-General. Of the five regional groupings of UN Member States, only the Eastern European Group has never been represented with a Secretary-General.

Lykketoft told the press that two candidacies have been formally submitted already. Both are from the Eastern European Group: Vesna Pusić of Croatia, and Srgjan Kerim of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. [Joint Letter] [UN Press Release] [UNGA President Press Conference] [1 for 7 Billion Campaign Press Release] [Global Memo Update]