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Selection and Appointment of the next United Nations Secretary-General

24 March 2026
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Caption: The General Assembly met this afternoon to install Mr. Dag Hammarskjöld of Sweden as Secretary-General of the United Nations. On the podium, Assembly President Lester. B. Pearson (center) of Canada administers the oath of office to Mr. Hammarskjöld (left) as out-going Secretary-General Trygve Lie (right) looks on. Standing in line behind the three men are (left to right): Joao Carlos Muniz, of Brazil, Chairman of the Assembly's First (Political and Security) Committee; Jiri Nosek, of Czechoslovakia, Chairman of the Second (Economic and Financial) Committee; Tingfu F. Tsiang of China, Ahmed Galal Eldine Abdelrazek of Egypt, Henri Hoppenot of France, Tiburcio Carias of Honduras, Andrei Y. Vyshinsky of U.S.S.R, Gladwyn Jebb of the United Kingdon, Henry Cabot Lodge of the United States, the seven Vice-Presidents of the current session of the General Assembly; Rodolfo Munoz of Argentina, Chairman of the Assembly's Fourth (Trusteeship) Committee; Carlos P. Romulo of the Philippines, Chairman of the Fifth (Administrative and Budgetary) Committee; and Alexis Kyrou of Greece, Chairman of the Ad Hoc Political Committee.
Photo: © UN Photo/AK

United Nations

As the second term of the ninth Secretary-General António Guterres comes to an end on 31 December 2026, so the process is under way to select and appoint his successor.  

The Secretary-General is a symbol of the United Nations ideals and a spokesperson for the interests of the world's peoples, in particular the poor and vulnerable. They can be described best as equal parts diplomat and advocate, civil servant and Chief Executive Officer.  

In a letter to the Member States the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council formally initiated the selection process.
 

“We invite candidates to be presented who have proven leadership and managerial abilities, extensive experience in international relations and strong diplomatic, communication and multilingual skills,” the Presidents wrote, adding that the position requires the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity and a firm commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. 

In the letter, they also note with regret that no woman has ever held the position of Secretary-General and encourage Member States to strongly consider nominating women as candidates. 

The role of the Secretary-General  

The UN Charter describes the Secretary-General as "chief administrative officer" of the Organization, who also performs "such other functions as are entrusted" to him or her by the Security Council, General Assembly, Economic and Social Council and other United Nations organs.  

The Charter also empowers the Secretary-General to "bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter, which in their opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security". These guidelines both define the powers of the office and grant it considerable scope for action.  

The Secretary-General would fail if they did not take careful account of the concerns of Member States, but they must also uphold the values and moral authority of the United Nations, and speak and act for peace, even at the risk, from time to time, of challenging or disagreeing with those same Member States. 

That creative tension accompanies the Secretary-General through day-to-day work that includes attendance at sessions of United Nations bodies; consultations with world leaders, government officials, and others; and worldwide travel intended to keep them in touch with the peoples of the Organization's Member States and informed about the vast array of topics of international concern that are on the Organization's agenda. Each year, the Secretary-General issues a report on the work of the United Nations that appraises its activities and outlines future priorities.  

Secretary-General Selection Process 

The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security Council, as stated in Article 97 of the UN Charter.
 

The newly appointed Secretary-General will assume the role in January 2027 and will serve a five-year term, which can be renewed by Member States for an additional five years. 

Although there is technically no limit to the number of five-year terms a Secretary-General may serve, none so far has held office for more than two terms. 

 

History of Secretaries-General

The tenth Secretary-General will follow in the steps of: 

  • António Guterres (Portugal), who took office in January 2017;
  • Ban Ki-moon (Republic of Korea), who held office from January 2007 to December 2016;
  • Kofi A. Annan (Ghana), who held office from January 1997 to December 2006;
  • Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Egypt), who held office from January 1992 to December 1996;
  • Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (Peru), who served from January 1982 to December 1991;
  • Kurt Waldheim (Austria), who held office from January 1972 to December 1981;
  • U Thant (Burma, now Myanmar), who served from November 1961, when he was appointed acting Secretary-General (he was formally appointed Secretary-General in November 1962) to December 1971;
  • Dag Hammarskjöld (Sweden), who served from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in Africa in September 1961; and
  • Trygve Lie (Norway), who held office from February 1946 to his resignation in November 1952. 

The following nominations have been received :

  • Virginia Gamba (nominated 11 March 2026)

  • Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis (nominated 3 March 2026)

  • Macky Sall (nominated 2 March 2026) 

  • Michelle Bachelet Jeria (nominated 2 February 2026)

  • Rafael Mariano Grossi (nominated 26 November 2025)

 

This article was first published here

 

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