Civil society organizations are urging the UN Security Council to choose a woman as the organization’s next Secretary-General through a transparent process that ensures the next UN chief’s independence and gives the wider UN membership a meaningful say. A joint letter dated 10 September, coordinated by the 1 for 8 Billion campaign and co-signed by Democracy Without Borders, among others, calls for public voting results, equal scrutiny of candidates and safeguards against political bargaining.
The letter urges governments to appoint a highly qualified woman capable of addressing the profound challenges facing the organization. “After 80 years of male leadership at the UN, the next UN Secretary-General needs to be a woman,” said Andreas Bummel, Executive Director of Democracy Without Borders.
The letter’s co-signatories call on Security Council members to commit publicly not to make their support conditional on promises that could compromise the successful candidate’s independence, including the appointment of their nationals to senior UN posts. Research cited in the letter indicates that allegations of such practices in previous selections are credible.
To give the wider UN membership a substantive choice, the groups want the Council to recommend several candidates to the UN General Assembly for a final decision. According to the letter, a majority of UN member states support this proposal, which would strengthen the democratic character of the appointment.
The letter criticizes the Council’s refusal to publish the results of its informal candidate votes, known as straw polls, arguing that disclosure would strengthen confidence and reduce misinformation. It also opposes ballots that distinguish permanent members’ votes from those of elected members, warning against procedures that reinforce the permanent members’ privileges.
Another concern is the inclusion in a previous straw poll on 30 July of a candidate who had not yet faced a public General Assembly dialogue. The signatories warn that this departure from a 2016 precedent could allow late entrants to evade scrutiny. They call for all candidates to present their vision publicly and answer questions, and for the Council to assess them against objective, transparent criteria.
Eight candidates are currently still in the running to succeed Secretary-General António Guterres, including five women. The female candidates are Ivonne A-Baki, nominated by Tonga; Michelle Bachelet, nominated by Brazil and Mexico following Chile’s withdrawal of its nomination in March; María Fernanda Espinosa, nominated by Antigua and Barbuda; Rebeca Grynspan, nominated by Costa Rica; and Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, nominated by Guyana.
To support public scrutiny, 1 for 8 Billion has worked with 15 organizations on candidate policy profiles, drawing on vision statements, public hearings and other information. These cover issues including human rights, gender equality, climate and UN reform. Its separate assessment resources bring together formal qualifications and proposed criteria for evaluating candidates.
The selection process has included public candidate dialogues and a televised town hall, with nominees submitting vision statements, biographies and campaign financing disclosures. Guterres’s second term ends on 31 December 2026. Under the UN Charter, the General Assembly appoints the Secretary-General on the Security Council’s recommendation. A decision is expected in the final quarter of 2026 ahead of the next UN chief taking office on 1 January 2027.
