Selection and Appointment of António Guterres

Solicitation of candidates for the position of Secretary-General

• Joint letter from the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council regarding the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General (A/70/623–S/2015/988, 15 December 2015)

Nomination of candidates

Joint letters

Joint letters from the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council, forwarding communications received from Permanent Missions presenting candidates:

• Irina Bokova (Bulgaria) A/70/732 – S/2016/139, 9 February 2016
• Helen Clark (New Zealand) A/70/813 – S/2016/314, 4 April 2016
• Christiana Figueres (Costa Rica) A/70/979 – S/2016/597, 7 July 2016
• Kristalina Georgieva (Bulgaria) A/71/420-S/2016/829, 28 September 2016
• Natalia Gherman (Republic of Moldova) A/70/752 – S/2016/166, 18 February 2016
• António Guterres (Portugal) A/70/768 – S/2016/206, 29 February 2016
• Vuk Jeremić (Serbia) A/70/827 – S/2016/340, 12 April 2016
• Srgjan Kerim (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) (A/70/672 – S/2015/1054, 8 January 2016
• Miroslav Lajčák (Slovakia) A/70/908 – S/2016/492, 25 May 2016
• Igor Lukšić (Montenegro) A/70/688 – S/2016/43, 14 January 2016
• Susana Malcorra (Argentina) A/70/906 – S/2016/473, 20 May 2016
• Vesna Pusić (Croatia) A/70/687 – S/2016/40, 8 January 2016
• Danilo Türk (Slovenia) A/70/731 – S/2016/128, 8 February 2016

• Letter from the President of the General Assembly about the informal interactive dialogues (letter dated 25 February 2016, pdf)
• Schedule of the informal interactive dialogues (letter dated 29 March 2016, pdf):
  • 12 April 2016:
    • Igor Lukšić, Montenegro
    • Irina Bokova, Bulgaria
    • António Guterres, Portugal
  • 13 April 2016:
    • Danilo Türk, Slovenia
    • Vesna Pusić, Croatia
    • Natalia Gherman, Republic of Moldova
  • 14 April 2016:
    • Vuk Jeremić, Serbia
    • Helen Clark, New Zealand
    • Srgjan Kerim, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
  • New round of informal dialogues for additional candidates (letter dated 24 May 2016, pdf):
  • 7 June 2016: Miroslav Lajčák, Slovakia
  • 8 June 2016: Susana Malcorra, Argentina
  • 14 July 2016: Christiana Figueres, Costa Rica
  • 3 October 2016: Kristalina Georgieva, Bulgaria

Recommendation of the Security Council

Official documents

• Security Council resolution 2311 (2016)
• S/PV. 7782: Official communiqué of the 7782nd (closed) meeting of the Security Council, 6 October 2016

Communication of recommendation to the General Assembly

Official document

• Letter dated 6 October 2016 from the President of the Security Council addressed to the President of the General Assembly (A/71/531)

Appointment by the General Assembly

Official documents

• General Assembly resolution 71/4: Appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations
• A/71/PV.27: Official record, 27th plenary meeting of the 71st session of the General Assembly, 13 October 2016

Other official documents

• Letter from the President of the General Assembly addressed to the President of the Security Council that summarizes the process to date and making recommendations for the future (S/2016/784, 13 September 2016)
• Letter from the Permanent Representative of Japan transmitting a summary of the selection process that highlights key events, with a focus on the role of the Security Council in the process (A/71/774–S/2017/93, 1 February 2017)
• Letter from the Permanent Representative of Estonia, on behalf of 25 Member States of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group (ACT), transmitting a note on the selection process of the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations in 2015 and 2016 (A/72/514–S/2017/846, 5 October 2017)

Taking the oath of office

Nomination of candidate

• Joint letter from the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council, forwarding a communication received from a Permanent Mission presenting a candidate (António Guterres, Portugal) (A/75/789–S/2021/180, 26 February 2021)
• António Guterres's vision statement:
  • Letter from the President of the General Assembly transmitting the vision statement (António Guterres, Portugal, 25 March 2021, pdf)
  • Letter dated 23 March 2021 from the Permanent Representative of Portugal to the United Nations addressed to the President of the General Assembly (A/75/837)

Recommendation of the Security Council

Official documents

• Security Council resolution 2580 (2021)
• S/PV. 8789: Official communiqué of the 8789th (closed) meeting of the Security Council, 8 June 2021

Communication of recommendation to the General Assembly

Official document

• Letter from the President of the General Assembly conveying transmitting the recommendation by the UN Security Council in the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General (8 June 2021, pdf)

Appointment by the General Assembly

Official documents

• General Assembly resolution 75/286: Appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations
• A/75/PV.82: Official record, 82nd plenary meeting of the 75th session of the General Assembly, 18 June 2021