Find the best UN leader
On 13 October, the General Assembly appointed António Guterres as the next UN Secretary-General by acclamation.Every speaker - including the President of the General Assembly, the current Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and representatives of all five UN regions - praised this year’s selection process as the most transparent, principled and merit-based appointment of the UN Secretary-General in the 70-year history of the United Nations.
António Guterres has been announced as the “clear favourite” for Secretary-General by the UN Security Council, according to Council President Vitaly Churkin. It is expected that a resolution to recommend Mr Guterres for the post will be agreed on by acclamation in the Security Council tomorrow at 10am EST.
In a letter released yesterday, 1 for 7 Billion called on P5 members to identify themselves during a formal ballot should their negative vote prevent an otherwise successful candidate for the position of UN Secretary-General receiving the minimum number of nine positive votes - the threshold necessary for endorsement as the Security Council’s preferred choice.
On Tuesday 3 October, Bulgaria's candidate for UN Secretary-General, Kristalina Georgieva, took part in an "informal dialogue" with the UN General Assembly. Having spearheaded a more open, inclusive process, the 1 for 7 Billion campaign welcomes Ms Georgieva's engagement with the wider UN membership - an unprecedented addition to this year's selection process.
