In 2026, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will engage in a process to select the next Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN).
The current Secretary-General, António Guterres, will complete his second five-year term at the end of 2026. This paper provides a historical overview of how the process for the selection and appointment of the UN Secretary-General has evolved over time. This process consolidated decades of practices and rules, and was recently refined by the General Assembly in its resolution 79/3271 adopted on September 5, 2025.
In short, the process has evolved from a non-transparent closed-door exercise almost exclusively dominated by the Security Council, to a more transparent, inclusive process involving more active and engaged participation of the General Assembly. This policy brief, published originally in July 2025, has now been updated as of October 2025 to unpack this process.