Envoy: Russia moves to launch UN Secretary-General election process

Russia is set to initiate the process of electing the next United Nations Secretary-General later this month, while it holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said.

According to Nebenzya, the procedure will begin with a joint letter from the presidents of the Security Council and the General Assembly, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

“I have already visited the General Assembly. We agreed to prepare a zero draft of the letter, discuss it jointly, and then present it as the starting point of the selection process for the Secretary-General,” he said.

However, Nebenzya indicated that the letter is unlikely to be published before the end of October. During the last Secretary-General election, he noted, the joint letter was circulated in mid-December.

The current UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, is serving his second term, which ends on December 31, 2026. 

The joint letter from the Security Council and the General Assembly formally opens the selection process, which proceeds with the submission of candidates and their programmes.

The Security Council then makes recommendations to the General Assembly, which ultimately appoints the Secretary-General.

By Aghakazim Guliyev