The United States has faulted the polling and survey methods being used in the selection process for the next United Nations Secretary-General, warning against any attempt to undermine or usurp the authority of the UN Security Council.
Washington said while the Security Council has a key role in recommending a candidate for the position, recent developments suggested that the Council’s established working methods were not being respected.
At a Security Council briefing this week, US Ambassador Jennifer Locetta, Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs, accused UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock of taking “irresponsible actions” that could undermine the selection process.
Locetta said the General Assembly President had sent two letters to the Security Council suggesting that the Council had acted improperly, citing concerns about “transparency,” “fairness” and “inclusion.”
The US diplomat maintained that the Council had consistently respected the selection procedure outlined in Resolution 79/327 on the revitalisation of the General Assembly, arguing that the same could not be said of the PGA.
“The President’s actions expose hypocrisy and reflect poorly on the General Assembly’s work writ large,” Locetta said.
She recalled that Baerbock convened a town hall with the candidates on July 23, during which an audience survey was conducted. According to Locetta, the polling came as a surprise to both candidates and observers.
The ambassador described the survey as “unfair, untransparent, and unprecedented,” arguing that most of those who participated had no official role in the selection of the Secretary-General.
She further said Resolution 79/327 does not authorise polls or surveys, accusing Baerbock of continuing what she described as a trend of UN leadership “fancying themselves as diplomatic superstars rather than Chief Administrative Officers.”
Locetta also criticised Baerbock’s second letter, which asked the Security Council not to consider candidates who did not participate in a General Assembly dialogue.
She argued that the joint letter on nominations was clear and suggested that the Council could still consider candidates who had not taken part in a General Assembly dialogue.
Meanwhile, Denmark’s UN Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen announced on Friday that the Security Council had conducted its second straw poll on candidates seeking to succeed Antonio Guterres, whose tenure ends on December 31.
The straw polls are informal, closed-door ballots used by Council members to assess the level of support for the candidates before the Council recommends a candidate to the General Assembly.
The eight candidates are Carolyn Birkett, Guyana’s representative to the UN; Ivonne Baki, Ecuador’s former industries minister; Michelle Bachelet, former president of Chile; Maria Espinosa, Ecuador’s former foreign minister; Rafael Grossi of Argentina, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency; Rebeca Grynspan, Costa Rica’s former vice president; Olara Otunnu of Uganda, former UN under-secretary-general; and Macky Sall, former president of Senegal.
