Secretary-General of the United Nations
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| Secretary-General of the United Nations | |
|---|---|
| Title | Secretary-General of the United Nations |
| Incumbent | António Guterres |
| Incumbentsince | 1 January 2017 |
| Formation | 24 October 1945 |
| Inaugural | Trygve Lie |
| Residence | UN Headquarters, Secretariat Building |
| Appointing authority | General Assembly on recommendation of the Security Council |
Secretary-General of the United Nations The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and a prominent international diplomat who represents the Organization in interactions with member states, regional organizations, and non-state actors such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The office combines roles found in other institutions—diplomatic envoy, civil service leader, and spokesperson—engaging with entities like the European Union, African Union, ASEAN, NATO, and major powers including United States, China, Russia, France, and United Kingdom.
Role and functions
The Secretary-General performs a mix of administrative and diplomatic functions: administering the Secretariat, facilitating multilateral negotiations among member states such as India, Brazil, South Africa, and Japan, and bringing attention to international issues including the Syrian Civil War, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Climate change, and global pandemics like COVID-19 pandemic. The office issues reports to the General Assembly and the Security Council, undertakes good offices missions in disputes involving parties such as North Korea, Iran, Ukraine, and organizes high-level conferences with stakeholders like the World Health Organization, IMF, and World Bank. The Secretary-General appoints senior officials, interacts with tribunals such as the ICJ and the ICC, and represents the UN at events like the UNGA and COP conferences.
Appointment and term
The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council, where any of the five permanent members—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and United States—may veto a candidate. The position traditionally follows an informal regional rotation among regions such as Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe, as seen in selections like Dag Hammarskjöld, U Thant, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, and Kofi Annan. Terms are conventionally five years and renewable; incumbents such as Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon served two terms, while others like Boutros Boutros-Ghali faced vetoes during reappointment.
List of Secretaries-General
The office has been held by individuals from diverse states: Trygve Lie (Norway), Dag Hammarskjöld (Sweden), U Thant (Burma), Kurt Waldheim (Austria), Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (Peru), Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Egypt), Kofi Annan (Ghana), Ban Ki-moon (South Korea), and António Guterres (Portugal). Each Secretary-General engaged with crises and initiatives linked to actors such as Cuba, Vietnam, Iraq, Somalia, Rwanda, and international agreements like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Paris Agreement.
Powers, privileges, and limitations
The Secretary-General's powers are primarily managerial and normative rather than coercive: appointing staff within the Secretariat, issuing annual reports to the General Assembly, and conducting good offices as in mediation efforts involving Cyprus or Western Sahara. The office lacks independent enforcement authority and depends on member states and organs such as the Security Council to implement resolutions or authorize peacekeeping missions like those in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Congo, and Haiti. Political constraints include vetoes from permanent members and diplomatic pressures from regional blocs such as Mercosur and OIC. Privileges include diplomatic immunity, residence in the UN Headquarters complex, and a platform to shape global norms on issues similar to those addressed by the WTO and ILO.
Reform proposals and controversies
Calls for reform have targeted the selection process, transparency, and mandates for the Secretary-General, with proposals from actors like France, Brazil, South Africa, and the Group of 77 to introduce more open nominations, term limits, or election by direct vote in the General Assembly. Controversies have arisen from incidents such as the Oil-for-Food Programme scandal, allegations of misconduct in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Haiti, and debates over impartiality during crises like Iraq War and the Rwandan genocide. Reform debates intersect with institutional questions involving the Security Council reform and proposals from the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change.
Office and staff
The Secretary-General heads the Secretariat, supported by Under-Secretaries-General and Departments including the Department of Peace Operations, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, UNDP, OCHA, and UNICEF. The office coordinates with UN agencies such as the WHO, UNESCO, and UNEP, and maintains liaison with organizations like the IOM and UNHCR.
Notable initiatives and crises handled
Secretaries-General have led or catalyzed initiatives including Decolonization processes, the 1992 Agenda for Peace, the Millennium Development Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals, and climate diplomacy culminating in the Paris Agreement. They have managed crises such as the Suez Crisis, Cuban Missile Crisis aftermath, Congo Crisis, Rwandan genocide, Yugoslav Wars, Syrian Civil War, and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, often coordinating with actors like NATO, European Commission, and humanitarian NGOs including MSF.