The selection and appointment process of the future Secretary-General of the UN finally entered its end game on 6th October, when the Security Council adopted (by acclamation) resolution 2311 (2016) recommending that the General Assembly (GA) appoint António Guterres. When the GA moves to do so, Mr Guterres will become the Organisation’s 9th Secretary-General.
Mr Guterres’ appointment will mark the end of a remarkably open and transparent (at least compared with previous Secretary-General appointments) process that has seen thirteen candidates present their candidatures, offer a ‘Vision Statement,’ and engage with States, the civil society and the media through interactive dialogues and a town-hall debate. After reviewing all candidatures, the Security Council held a series of six straw polls, to identify the individual with the most support (and the least opposition). Although there had been hopes, when the process began, that the UN would appoint its first ever female Secretary-General; and while there had been a certain expectation that the new post-holder would be from a country of the Eastern European Group (EEG); in the end the chosen candidate was a Western man: the former Prime Minister of Portugal and former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres.
In truth, despite calls for the new head of the UN to be female (seven of the thirteen candidates were women) and/or from Eastern Europe (nine of the thirteen were from the EEG), Mr Guterres has been the lead candidate from the very first straw poll. He was widely considered to be one of, if not the most, ‘high-profile candidates,’[i] and led the race until the final poll when he received ‘encouragement’ from thirteen members of the Security Council and no ‘discouragement,’ (two members offered ‘no opinion’).
As discussed in the Universal Rights Group’s recent paper on the Secretary-General appointment process, it will be important for the new post-holder to prioritise human rights, long considered to be the UN’s ‘neglected pillar.’ So what clues did the appointment process throw up about Mr Guterres’ focus and views on human rights?
Based on his ‘Vision Statement,’ it seems likely that Mr Guterres’ will focus on strengthening connectivity between the human rights pillar and the other two pillars of the UN – peace and security, and development. In his Statement, he called this holistic approach ‘connecting the dots’ between the three pillars. Mr Guterres also discussed human rights in the context of ‘delivering for the people’, and in the context of crisis prevention and the realisation of the SDGs. On the last point, he argues that there cannot be ‘peace and security or sustainable development without respect for human rights.’
Turning to likely priority thematic issues for the new Secretary-General, his candidature displays concern for a wide range of human rights matters, many of which were included in civil society proposals to candidates.[ii]
During his candidature, Mr Guterres underlined his commitment to addressing all human rights, both civil and political rights, and economic, social and cultural rights, in an equal manner and with equal emphasis. He drew particular attention to: gender equality, gender parity at the UN secretariat; forced migration; violent extremism; discrimination against minorities; and indigenous persons’ rights. He also talked about achieving ‘the right balance between immunity and impunity’ and committed to combatting the latter.
Importantly, throughout the selection process, Mr Guterres regularly focused on the importance of not just talking about human rights, but of delivering on the ground. As noted above, he drew attention to the importance of creating better linkages between the three pillars of the UN, and driving human rights mainstreaming at the national and international levels (including in UN vision statements, goals, strategies and partnerships.) He also called for human rights impact assessments to be conducted across all UN programmes and initiatives.
In the context of delivering human rights improvements on the ground, Mr Guterres also spoke about the importance of empowering minorities, the inclusion of marginalised groups in public life, promoting respect for the rule of law, and the implementation and creation of legal instruments.
Finally, Mr Guterres drew particular attention to the importance of prevention in the area of human rights – engaging with, and building the capacity of, States to stop human rights violations, and thus crises, from happening in the first place. In that context, he expressed strong support for the Human Rights Up Front initiative.
One important issue that the (expected) new post-holder did not mention was the next review of the position and status of the Human Rights Council in the UN architecture. That review is due to officially begin in 2021 (see The role of the next Secretary-General in revitalising the UN’s ‘neglected pillar’), and will offer an important litmus test of the new Secretary-General’s practical commitment to human rights.
For an overview of Mr Guterres’ vision statement and participation at the interactive dialogues from a human rights perspective, see Candidates for the post of UN Secretary-General: Where do they stand on human rights?.
[i] The Guardian (30 March 2016). Who will succeed Ban Ki-moon? A guide to the possible candidates.
[ii] See for example, Amnesty International, et. al. (n.d.) Human Rights Priorities. A Human Rights Agenda for the next United Nations Secretary-General, n.d., and A human rights defenders agenda for the next secretary general.
Feature photo: Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al Hussein ( left ) United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Antonio Guterres (right) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees during Sergio Vieira de Mello Debate. 12 March 2015. UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
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