January 2026 — The Secretary-General is a symbol of the United Nations ideals and a spokesperson for the interests of the world's peoples, in particular the poor and vulnerable. They can be described best as equal parts diplomat and advocate, civil servant and Chief Executive Officer.
In a letter to the Member States the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council formally initiated the selection process.
“We invite candidates to be presented who have proven leadership and managerial abilities, extensive experience in international relations and strong diplomatic, communication and multilingual skills,” the Presidents wrote, adding that the position requires the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity and a firm commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
In the letter, they also note with regret that no woman has ever held the position of Secretary-General and encourage Member States to strongly consider nominating women as candidates.
The UN Charter describes the Secretary-General as "chief administrative officer" of the Organization, who also performs "such other functions as are entrusted" to him or her by the Security Council, General Assembly, Economic and Social Council and other United Nations organs.
The Charter also empowers the Secretary-General to "bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter, which in their opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security". These guidelines both define the powers of the office and grant it considerable scope for action.
The Secretary-General would fail if they did not take careful account of the concerns of Member States, but they must also uphold the values and moral authority of the United Nations, and speak and act for peace, even at the risk, from time to time, of challenging or disagreeing with those same Member States.
That creative tension accompanies the Secretary-General through day-to-day work that includes attendance at sessions of United Nations bodies; consultations with world leaders, government officials, and others; and worldwide travel intended to keep them in touch with the peoples of the Organization's Member States and informed about the vast array of topics of international concern that are on the Organization's agenda. Each year, the Secretary-General issues a report on the work of the United Nations that appraises its activities and outlines future priorities.
The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security Council, as stated in Article 97 of the UN Charter.
The newly appointed Secretary-General will assume the role in January 2027 and will serve a five-year term, which can be renewed by Member States for an additional five years.
Although there is technically no limit to the number of five-year terms a Secretary-General may serve, none so far has held office for more than two terms.
Photos (header):
UN Photo/MB: Assembly Unanimously Appoints U Thant Acting Secretary-General - 11/03/1961
UN Photo/Manuel Elias: António Guterres (right) with Ban Ki-moon after taking the oath - 12/12/2016
UN Photo/AK: UN Secretary-General Hammarskjold's Installation - 04/10/1953
