Principles
Our campaign is based on the following principles which reflect best practices in the selection of other top public leaders[1]. The selection process for the next UN Secretary-General should:
● be focused on producing the best possible candidate
● be held in a timely and structured manner
● be based on formal selection criteria and qualifications
● be designed to promote gender parity and grounded in best practice on equality and diversity, including encouraging candidates from all regions
● be transparent to the wider UN membership
● be transparent to civil society, the general public and media
● be inclusive for all members of the General Assembly and open to appropriate input from civil society.
These principles constitute the central criteria on which any future reform proposals will be judged as a benchmark for improving the selection procedure.
Based on these principles we recommend ten reforms which we believe are realistic. Current procedures are informal and flexible, and our reform proposals can be achieved. They do not need an amendment to the UN Charter.
[1] Security Council Report. Appointment of the UN Secretary-General - Special Research Report. (May 2011)