On 4 November 2024 the UN General Assembly held its opening discussion on the revitalization of the General Assembly, which covers the issue of the selection process for the UN Secretary-General (SG). Deliberations will continue throughout this session, with a new resolution on the matter to be agreed by September 2025. This resolution will be negotiated through what is known as the Ad Hoc Working Group and is the General Assembly’s last chance to improve the process ahead of the next SG selection, expected to begin in the final quarter of 2025.
Five groups of states and 24 states in their national capacity delivered statements during the discussion. The most prominent issue was women’s representation in UN leadership positions with many states using the opportunity to raise the need to appoint a woman Secretary-General - a central demand of the 1 for 8 Billion campaign.
The drive for a feminist woman SG
The discussion began with a joint statement by 78 member states calling for the improved representation of women in senior appointments. The statement described the issue as a “matter of great importance not only for the functioning of the United Nations, but also for how this Organisation is perceived by the broader public”. While the group stopped short of committing to any specific proposal to support the appointment of a woman SG, it was a clear statement of intent to mobilise in the General Assembly: “to achieve true gender parity, we need to go further by demanding concrete action and results. This is what we will strive for in the discussions of the Ad Hoc Working Group during this session”. The statement was coordinated by Mexico and Spain - the co-chairs of the UN Feminist Foreign Policy Group as well as by Slovenia, whose chargé d'affaires, Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, delivered the statement.
The clearest support for a woman SG came from the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) group - a cross-regional coalition of 27 small and medium states promoting a more transparent and efficient United Nations. The group said “We cannot miss the transformative opportunity to appoint the UNs first woman SG and show our organisation’s commitment to gender equality at the highest level”. ACT’s work on this issue is led by Costa Rica and Estonia, the latter’s Permanent Representative Rein Tammsaar delivered the statement.
The other groups to speak were NAM, the EU (with additional states joining the statement) and ASEAN. While all of these groups mentioned the issue, none of them went further than previously agreed language which either laments that there has never been a woman Secretary-General or encourages the nomination of women candidates. Watch this space as states are expected to deliver more detailed statements on this issue in the coming months.
Further notable calls for a woman SG came from states speaking in their national capacity. Latvia said “it is a high time for a woman to serve as the leader of the UN”, the Maldives said “It is imperative that we [...] actively support [women’s] candidacies for the highest offices within the UN” while Liechtenstein said “we must, of course, finally see a woman as Secretary-General” explaining further that “It has been too long and the status quo too unequal to accept a further failure in this respect”. Costa Rica’s Permanent Representative Maritza Chan-Valverde reminded delegates that “in 2016, seven women were considered, but it is not enough to consider them: we must elect a woman”. The Ambassador went on to suggest ways that the General Assembly could “impose its will […] For example, the General Assembly, with one third of the States, could refuse to accept a candidate, urging the Security Council to recommend a more inclusive group of candidates”.
1 for 8 Billion is calling on all states to ensure the selection of a woman SG by only considering the nomination of women candidates and will be tracking state positions on this issue as discussions at the UN develop next year. We will also be encouraging all candidates to communicate their vision for a feminist UN which reflects the future we want and the UN we need to get there.
Other issues raised during the discussion
The related issue of the lack of women elected to serve as the President of the General Assembly (PGA) was also high on the agenda, with many states urging fellow delegates to nominate women candidates for this role. Germany said that states need to “walk the talk” and, while mentioning that Germany still had work to do in this regard, said “We are proud to “deliver” by nominating Helga Schmid, a strong female candidate, as WEOG nominee for the PGA position in the 80th GA”. Ms Schmid, whose election is widely expected to be a shoo-in, is expected to take office in September 2025 and will preside over the critical period of the upcoming race: she will be responsible for ensuring the growing appetite for a more assertive General Assembly is reflected and that civil society and other stakeholders are included in the process.
ACT’s statement referred to the timing and schedule for the upcoming race, stating that the process should include a “predictable timeline” and that the race should “ideally begin less than a year from now”. The latter is a reference to that group’s long standing recommendation that, in order to run a rigorous and well-structured race, the process should begin in October of the year preceding the appointment.
ACT, Costa Rica, Germany and Liechtenstein all mentioned the importance of the inclusion of civil society in the process, while others, including Portugal and Indonesia, called for greater cooperation between the Security Council and the General Assembly.
South Africa used the opportunity to raise two long-standing 1 for 8 Billion reform proposals: “the Security Council should be encouraged to submit more than one name for the General Assembly’s consideration; and that the General Assembly seriously reflect on, and consider, appointing future Secretaries-General for a longer, but single, non-renewable term”. Both reforms have significant traction in the General Assembly (see here, and here) but opposition from Permanent Members of the Security Council has shut down formal discussion on the merits of both proposals due to the perception that this could diminish the Security Council’s hold over the process.
Almost every statement welcomed the progress that has been made since 2016 and called for consolidation of these gains. Singapore suggested what it called a “simple proposal” to support institutionalisation efforts by writing down the consolidated process in one place, while Japan referred those assembled to the best practice it shared following the 2016 race which contained ideas for strengthening transparency, particularly in relation to Security Council deliberations.
The related issue of monopolies on top UN jobs by the nationals of powerful countries was raised by ACT, which asked for best practice and transparency to be applied to all executive heads to ensure “the avoidance of monopolies by a handful of States on senior posts”. The Philippines also alluded to this problem, saying that the Secretary-General “must be accorded independence” when it comes to the selection of senior officials to ensure “equal and fair distribution on the basis of gender and geographical balance”.
What next?
The General Assembly will now hold a series of meetings under the auspices of the Ad Hoc Working Group. Two co-facilitators have been appointed to preside over these discussions: Permanent Representatives of Romania, Ambassador Cornel Feruță, and Republic of South Africa, Ambassador Mathu Joyini. It is expected that the co-facilitators will schedule a thematic debate on the “Selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other executive heads” in the first few months of 2025 before moving to a negotiation process on a new resolution in the middle of the year.
1 for 8 Billion will be championing civil society’s role in the process, working with our partners to track states' positions and advocating for the inclusion of the five reforms outlined in our Policy Platform. If you are an NGO that believes the UN should implement fair, open and inclusive selection processes for its senior leaders please sign up to our campaign.