Negotiations kicked off this month on the biennial General Assembly resolution focusing on the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other executive heads. This opportunity to improve appointment processes at the UN must be seized. This article outlines a series of reform proposals which merit consideration in these negotiations.

On 9 February 2023, states in the General Assembly expressed strong support for the reforms that transformed the SG selection process in 2016 while expressing a desire to further strengthen the process. Many states also expressed a desire to improve issues relating to the appointment of other executive heads.

Today, the General Assembly adopted a resolution which makes significant progress on institutionalising crucial gains to the UN Secretary-General selection process achieved in 2015/16, as well as some headway on outstanding issues identified by 1 for 7 Billion.

1 for 7 Billion has written to all member states calling for progress on outstanding reforms which are needed to strengthen future Secretary-General selection processes.

Today, the Forward initiative announced its own “candidate” to stand for the position of UN Secretary-General: Ecuadorian politician, Rosalía Arteaga Serrano. Forward is a civil society initiative that seeks to hold “progressive primaries to find a people-backed candidate to run for Secretary-General”.