Overview
Dr. Augustina Șiman’s guide explains how the UN selects and appoints the next Secretary-General, with a practical roadmap for what to expect during the 2025–2026 selection and appointment process. It walks through the formal foundations of UN documents and practice, translating the historical archives into an easy sequence: the joint letter launching nominations, the General Assembly’s informal dialogues, the Security Council’s informal meetings, multiple rounds of straw polls, and finally the Security Council recommendation followed by the General Assembly appointment and Oath of Office.
Key Findings
- The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly upon recommendation of the Security Council (UN Charter, Article 97), and must maintain independence from external instruction (Article 100).
- Since 1946, the UN has had nine Secretaries-General; the guide highlights two representation gaps discussed in SG selection debates: no women SGs and no SG from the Eastern European Group.
- The modern selection approach emphasizes transparency and inclusivity, including public-facing candidate engagement through informal interactive dialogues in the General Assembly (a practice developed in the 2015–2016 cycle and expected to continue).
- The joint letter from the Presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council formally initiates the process, invites nominations by Member States, and supports maintaining a public list of candidates.
- The Security Council’s straw polls are informal, secret, and non-binding—used to narrow the field and test viability before a formal recommendation is made.
- What matters most in straw polls is not only overall support, but whether a candidate receives a “discourage” signal from a permanent member once colour-coded ballots are introduced (a practical proxy for a veto risk).
- The process culminates in a Security Council resolution recommending a single candidate, followed by a General Assembly resolution appointing the Secretary-General-designate, and the Oath of Office administered by the President of the General Assembly.
Developments post-publication of the Guide
As part of the selection and appointment process of the next UN Secretary-General, the UN Security Council held on 30 June 2026 informal interactive dialogues with the following candidates: Ms Michelle Bachelet Jeria (nominated by Brazil and Mexico), Ms Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis (nominated by Costa Rica).
On 10 July 2026, the UN Security Council held informal dialogues with the following candidates: Ms Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett (nominated by Guyana), Mr. Macky Sall (nominated by Burundi), Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi (nominated by Argentina). All candidates presented their views on challenges and opportunities faced by the United Nations and answered the questions put forward by the Security Council members.
Further, in order to strengthen the authority of the UN General Assembly in the process of selecting and appointing the next UN Secretary-General, the President of the 80th session of the General Assembly decided to convene a townhall with the six existing candidates (as of 23 of July 2026) for the respective position (Michelle Bachelet Jeria - nominated by Brazil and Mexico, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés - nominated by Antigua and Barbuda, Rafael Mariano Grossi - nominated by Argentina, Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis - nominated by Costa Rica, Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett - nominated by Guyana, Macky Sall - nominated by Burundi). The townhall, which took place on 23 July 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., in the General Assembly Hall, with the participation of Permanent Missions of UN Member States, civil society representatives, and even UN Staff, was designed to be distinct from the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council dialogues with individual candidates, featuring a discussion with the group of candidates during the event.
On 27 of July 2026, the UN Security Council held an informal dialogue with Ms María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés (nominated by Antigua and Barbuda) as part of the ongoing selection process of for the next UN Secretary-General. As per the UNSC Press Elements: the Security Council plans to make its recommendation to the General Assembly in a timely manner so that the appointment by the Assembly allows the new elected Secretary-General sufficient time to prepare for the job.