Why the world needs a better Secretary-General

How many people around the world know there will soon be a new U.N. ­Secretary-General? How many care? Perhaps public interest is low because the announced candidates are all thoughtful, experienced women and men with grand ideas. None of them have held a campaign rally to ignite the faithful to build border fences. None have promised to flush the heads of criminals down the toilet or tweeted unflattering photos of an opponent’s wife. Or maybe it’s because many people, far more aware of the U.N.’s failures than its crucial successes, think the U.N. is irrelevant.

Nor is this an ordinary vote. ­Secretaries-General are not popularly elected. Formally, it’s not an election at all. The U.N. calls it a “selection” ­process—though candidates are actively seeking the office, and there is certainly competition. The candidates audition before the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, known as the P5: the U.S., China, Russia, Britain and France. The 10 non-permanent Security Council members also have their say. The choice is “discussed and decided at a private meeting,” according to Rule 48 of the Security Council Provisional Rules of Procedure. Any of the P5 can blacklist any candidate for any reason. Once the five settle on a candidate that none of them want to block, they present their selection’s name to the 193-member General Assembly for a ratification that is a fait accompli. Traditionally, all other candidates withdraw their names to clear a path.

 

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