US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for global partnerships said on Tuesday that the next UN Secretary General should be chosen on merit rather than regional rotation or gender, as these are “political traditions” rather than “legal rules” under the UN Charter.
“The world should choose the best person for the job – based on merit, reform and results,” Paolo Zampolli said on social media. “After 18 years at the United Nations, I believe this is a moment to think bigger about the future of the institution.”
The Security Council is to select a successor to Secretary General Antonio Guterres, whose term ends on December 31.
The Trump administration has so far kept its preferences private, leaving uncertainty over who it might support in a contest that has drawn seven candidates, including Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Argentina’s Rafael Grossi.
Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan has emerged as the front-runner, but her support has shown signs of weakening.
In the fifth round of informal straw voting on October 7, Ms Grynspan received nine “encourage” votes and six “discourage” votes, with no council members expressing “no opinion”. That was a setback from the previous round, on September 29, when she won 10 votes in favour, three against and two with no opinion.
To secure the post, a candidate must win at least nine votes in the Security Council without a veto from any of its five permanent members – the US, Britain, France, Russia and China.
The selection process has long been shaped by unwritten diplomatic conventions, including the expectation that the post should rotate among the world’s regions.
Since 1946, the position has been held by leaders from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, although no formal rotation system exists.
The organisation has also never been led by a woman in its 81-year history, despite repeated calls from member states for more women's representation.
The final decision rests largely with the Security Council’s five permanent members, each of which can block a candidate regardless of how much support that person has.
“The UN Charter only offers limited guidance about the process for selecting a new UN Secretary General. It requires the Security Council to recommend an individual for the General Assembly to appoint to the role,” said Daniel Forti, head of UN affairs at the International Crisis Group.
Much of the process, he said, had evolved through changes to council procedures and agreements with the General Assembly.
The expectation of regional representation developed through decades of diplomatic practice and non-binding General Assembly resolutions.
A 1997 General Assembly resolution called for regional rotation and gender to be taken into account when selecting a secretary general, while a 2015 resolution encouraged member states to nominate women. Neither resolution is legally binding.
Another long-standing convention has excluded citizens of the five permanent Security Council member states from the post, reflecting concerns that a major power could exert undue influence over the institution.
“Many other factors, whether the demand for regional rotation, the push for the UN to select its first woman secretary general, or commitments about the SG not being a P5 national, are all informal conventions,” Mr Forti said. "They are not binding on the Security Council even if they weigh heavily in the court of public opinion."
The veto is a different matter.
“The UN Charter is indirect, but unequivocal, about the permanent members’ veto privileges in the Secretary General selection process,” Mr Forti said. “No one questions that the recommendation of a new UN leader is a substantive decision, so the permanent members’ veto authorities are inconvenient but undisputed.”