un security council

Guterres maintains lead in Security Council straw polls

The UN Security Council held its fourth round of straw polls on 9 September to determine which candidate it will put forward to replace Ban Ki-moon as the next Secretary-General.

This latest round saw the former Prime Minister of Portugal and former head of the UN Refugee Agency, Antόnio Guterres, maintain his lead for the fourth time running.

The public wants a UN leader with "the courage to stand up to powerful countries"

In September 2015, 1 for 7 Billion launched a public poll to generate discussion on the role of the UN Secretary-General. The poll asked questions about the issues the next Secretary-General should prioritise and the qualities she or he should possess to be an effective leader of the United Nations.

1 for 7 Billion makes the case for the Secretary-General to stand for a single term

The 1 for 7 Billion campaign has published a statement setting out the arguments for the UN Secretary-General to stand for a single, non-renewable term of office. The paper has been released ahead of a General Assembly debate on this proposal on 29 February.  

Leading UN experts call for "courageous" UN leader to serve single term of office

Senior UN officials and prospective candidates for the position of Secretary-General have spoken out in favour of further reforms to the process by which the UN leader is selected.

Mark the UN’s 70th anniversary with an open and transparent process to select the next Secretary-General

The 70th anniversary of the United Nations on 24 October is a unique opportunity for all states to enhance the UN’s authority by acting in the spirit of its Charter to create an open, transparent and inclusive process to select the best woman or man as the next UN Secretary-General

UK Government endorses 1 for 7 Billion proposals at House of Lords debate

The British Government has backed 1 for 7 Billion’s calls for a fairer, more inclusive process to select the next UN Secretary-General at a rare House of Lords debate on UN effectiveness.