Press coverage

For media inquiries please contact Ben Donaldson at UNA-UK on donaldson@una.org.uk

18 Apr 2016: UN secretary-general dialogues: Did anyone come out on top?

18 Apr 2016: UN secretary-general dialogues: Did anyone come out on top?


18 Apr 2016: A humanitarian's guide to choosing the next UN chief

18 Apr 2016: A humanitarian's guide to choosing the next UN chief

Thanks in part to the 1 for 7 Billion campaign, campaigning for the top diplomatic job is – for the first time in UN history – mostly public
- Irin News

17 Apr 2016: India flavour of season as UN secretary general hopefuls vie for global support

17 Apr 2016: India flavour of season as UN secretary general hopefuls vie for global support


15 Apr 2016: At U.N., Ambassadors Hold Auditions for Next Secretary General

15 Apr 2016: At U.N., Ambassadors Hold Auditions for Next Secretary General


14 Apr 2016: First ever public hustings for UN secretary general held in New York

14 Apr 2016: First ever public hustings for UN secretary general held in New York

This year, however, thanks largely to a grassroots global campaign called 1 for 7 Billion, the process has been revolutionised
- the Guardian

14 Apr 2016: Will the UN’s new leader stand for the powerful or the powerless?

14 Apr 2016: Will the UN’s new leader stand for the powerful or the powerless?


14 Apr 2016: Historisch: kandidaten voor VN-topjob openlijk aan de tand gevoeld

14 Apr 2016: Historisch: kandidaten voor VN-topjob openlijk aan de tand gevoeld


13 Apr 2016: Auditioning for the job of UN Secretary-General

13 Apr 2016: Auditioning for the job of UN Secretary-General


13 Apr 2016: UN Secretary-General Selection Process 2016 Goes Public Amid Peacekeeping, Corruption Scandals

13 Apr 2016: UN Secretary-General Selection Process 2016 Goes Public Amid Peacekeeping, Corruption Scandals

“For the first time the general public will get a look into how the candidates perform, who they are and what they will bring and not bring to the post,” said Yvonne Terlingen, a member of the steering committee for the campaign 1 for 7 billion campaign
- International Business Times

12 Apr 2016: UN secretary general: The other New York race

12 Apr 2016: UN secretary general: The other New York race


12 Apr 2016: Want to lead the UN? First, face the public

12 Apr 2016: Want to lead the UN? First, face the public


11 Apr 2016: The job interview in front of the world

11 Apr 2016: The job interview in front of the world

“Finally, some transparency in a process that has been shrouded in secrecy for 70 years. Candidates appearing before Member States in the General Assembly is an important first step, and a major victory for the 1 for 7 Billion campaign...” says Ben Donaldson
- Newsweek

11 Apr 2016: UN chief hopefuls face grilling on Middle East crises

11 Apr 2016: UN chief hopefuls face grilling on Middle East crises


9 Apr 2016: Candidates for next UN chief to face nations for first time

9 Apr 2016: Candidates for next UN chief to face nations for first time

Natalie Samarasinghe... one of the founders of the 1 for 7 Billion campaign for reform in the secretary-general selection process, said that throughout the U.N.’s history “the Security Council concern has always been, ‘who’s not going to rock the boat, and who’s going to cause the least trouble for us.’”
- Daily Mail

8 Apr 2016: Selecting a new Secretary-General: a job interview in front of the whole world

8 Apr 2016: Selecting a new Secretary-General: a job interview in front of the whole world


30 Mar 2016: UN to hold secretary general job hustings for first time ever

30 Mar 2016: UN to hold secretary general job hustings for first time ever


19 Mar 2016: UN Laboriously Strives for its First Female Secretary-General

19 Mar 2016: UN Laboriously Strives for its First Female Secretary-General

...there is a global campaign by a collective group of NGOs called “1 for 7 Billion” demanding an open election process “which until now has been shrouded in secrecy.” The group criticizes the “woefully inadequate way in which the Secretary-General has been elected to date by a handful of powerful countries... behind closed doors.”
- IPS News

6 Feb 2016: Ban Ki-moon says woman at helm of UN would be ‘a great idea’

6 Feb 2016: Ban Ki-moon says woman at helm of UN would be ‘a great idea’


24 Jan 2016: United Nations tries transparency in finding new secretary general

24 Jan 2016: United Nations tries transparency in finding new secretary general

William Pace, who is with the global advocacy group 1 for 7 Billion, believes this added transparency will encourage highly qualified, independent candidates to put themselves forward, and it will discourage the... P5 – from blocking them without good reason.
- CBC News

7 Jan 2016: The race for the next UN Secretary-General: which candidate fits the profile?

7 Jan 2016: The race for the next UN Secretary-General: which candidate fits the profile?


1 Jan 2016: Should the UN appoint a female Secretary-General?

1 Jan 2016: Should the UN appoint a female Secretary-General?


31 Dec 2015: What will happen in 2016?

31 Dec 2015: What will happen in 2016?

The 1 for 7 Billion campaign, backed by hundreds of NGOs, is proposing an official shortlist of candidates who will have to publish broad manifestos and subject themselves to questions.
- the Guardian

15 Dec 2015: World Powers Relax the Process for Picking a U.N. Leader, Slightly

15 Dec 2015: World Powers Relax the Process for Picking a U.N. Leader, Slightly


15 Dec 2015: UN kicks off race for next secretary-general

15 Dec 2015: UN kicks off race for next secretary-general


15 Dec 2015: UN cracks open secrecy on selecting next secretary general

15 Dec 2015: UN cracks open secrecy on selecting next secretary general

A new campaign for reform in the selection process, called 1 for 7 Billion, has been conducting an online poll asking what qualities people would like to see in the next U.N. chief. “Have the courage to stand up to powerful countries” leads the way with 38 per cent
- Daily Mail

22 Jul 2015: Challenges facing the next UN Secretary-General

22 Jul 2015: Challenges facing the next UN Secretary-General


15 Jul 2015: Is it time for a woman to run the UN?

15 Jul 2015: Is it time for a woman to run the UN?

“We’re in the worst situation, where the countries with nuclear weapons pointed at each other decide who becomes secretary-general,” [William] Pace told Al Jazeera.

8 Jul 2015: Succession de Ban Ki-moon: glasnost exigée

8 Jul 2015: Succession de Ban Ki-moon: glasnost exigée


28 Jun 2015: Who wants to rule the world?

28 Jun 2015: Who wants to rule the world?


22 May 2015: It Is Time for a Woman to Take the Helm at the UN

22 May 2015: It Is Time for a Woman to Take the Helm at the UN


28 Apr 2015: Make election of UN secretary-general an open, democratic process: India

28 Apr 2015: Make election of UN secretary-general an open, democratic process: India


27 Apr 2015: U.N. members push to open search for next chief

27 Apr 2015: U.N. members push to open search for next chief

A coalition of nongovernmental organizations, backed by former United Nations diplomats, has called for a more formal application process... The campaign, called 1 for 7 Billion, has been trying to draw public support through social media.
- The New York Times

24 Apr 2015: Unas Naciones Unidas con nombre de mujer

24 Apr 2015: Unas Naciones Unidas con nombre de mujer


23 Apr 2015: Campaign launches to elect first female U.N. Secretary-General

23 Apr 2015: Campaign launches to elect first female U.N. Secretary-General


11 Mar 2015: Helen Clark billed as top candidate for UN Secretary-General

11 Mar 2015: Helen Clark billed as top candidate for UN Secretary-General

The campaign 1 for 7 Billion... takes up the frustrations of many of the 193 UN member states who say they have little voice in picking a secretary-general... The campaign wants more transparency and public input for the best candidate, “irrespective of his or her country of origin”.
- news.com.au

25 Mar 2015: As race for UN chief begins, new campaigns demand a woman

25 Mar 2015: As race for UN chief begins, new campaigns demand a woman


24 Feb 2015: An international election that Canada can help to fix: Opinion

24 Feb 2015: An international election that Canada can help to fix: Opinion


9 Feb 2015: Crunch time at the UN as candidates vie for top spot

9 Feb 2015: Crunch time at the UN as candidates vie for top spot

The campaign group 1 for 7 Billion points out that the UN secretary general, a single person whose actions affect seven billion people on the planet, is chosen through an opaque system, in secret, by the five countries who make up the permanent representatives on the UN Security Council.
- Channel 4 News

4 Feb 2015: O que impedir Guterres de chegar ao topo da ONU?

4 Feb 2015: O que impedir Guterres de chegar ao topo da ONU?


31 Dec 2014: The Guardian view on the next UN secretary general: let’s appoint only on talent

31 Dec 2014: The Guardian view on the next UN secretary general: let’s appoint only on talent

It is also time for “We the peoples”, as the UN charter begins, to claim a veto on mediocrity. The new campaign “1 for 7 Billion” allows people to lend their support in a moment.
- the Guardian

6 Dec 2014: La succession de Ban Ki-moon fait des vagues à l'ONU

6 Dec 2014: La succession de Ban Ki-moon fait des vagues à l'ONU


24 Nov 2014: Bold or Not, Next U.N. Secretary-General Faces World of Pain

24 Nov 2014: Bold or Not, Next U.N. Secretary-General Faces World of Pain


22 Nov 2014: Controversy over UN selection process for candidates

22 Nov 2014: Controversy over UN selection process for candidates


21 Nov 2014: Big Job, No Rules?

21 Nov 2014: Big Job, No Rules?

As those of us supporting the 1 for 7 Billion campaign believe, the manner in which the next UN Secretary-General is appointed is hugely important. For me at least, the opaque appointment process points to a much bigger problem, a democratic deficit that festers at the very heart of our institutions of global governance.
- Danny Sriskandarajah, Huffington Post

10 Nov 2014: Poll: is it time for a woman to lead the UN?

10 Nov 2014: Poll: is it time for a woman to lead the UN?


7 Nov 2014: UN urged to end ‘haphazard lottery’ of leadership selection process

7 Nov 2014: UN urged to end ‘haphazard lottery’ of leadership selection process

Under the banner of the 1 for 7 Billion campaign, they are calling for “an end to the secret deals and horse trading that see five countries hold sway over an appointment that affects all the world’s people”.
- the Guardian

5 Nov 2014: Calls Grow to Broaden Search for Next U.N. Leader

5 Nov 2014: Calls Grow to Broaden Search for Next U.N. Leader