UN Secretary-General and the Secretariat

In 2006, an Indian diplomat came within one vote of leading the entire United Nations. Shashi Tharoor’s near-miss remains India’s closest brush with the UN’s top job.

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International Relations · IntlRel0029

UN Secretary-General and the Secretariat

Nine leaders since 1946 — and India came close once

Every Secretary-General, in order

1

1946-52

Trygve Lie, Norway

2

1953-61

Dag Hammarskjöld, Sweden

3

1961-71

U Thant, Myanmar

4

1972-81

Kurt Waldheim, Austria

5

1982-91

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peru

6

1992-96

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egypt

7

1997-2006

Kofi Annan, Ghana

8

2007-16

Ban Ki-moon, South Korea

9

2017-26

António Guterres, Portugal

36,000+

Secretariat staff worldwide

2nd of 7

Shashi Tharoor’s finish, India’s 2006 candidate

Two-step selection, one veto

The Security Council recommends a candidate under Article 97; the General Assembly then appoints. Any single P5 veto at the first stage blocks a candidate outright — no P5 national has ever held the post.

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Must Know

• The UN Secretary-General is the organisation’s chief administrative officer.
• The Secretary-General also leads the UN Secretariat, its main administrative body.
• The Secretariat employs over 36,000 staff worldwide.
• It carries out the UN’s day-to-day work: research, translation, and administration.

Good to Know

• Under Article 97 of the UN Charter, the Security Council first recommends a candidate.
• The General Assembly then formally appoints that candidate, usually by a simple majority vote.
• A single P5 veto at the Security Council stage can block a candidate outright.
• The Secretary-General’s term runs five years, and can be renewed.
• Since 1946, the post has always gone to someone from a small or mid-sized country, never a P5 national.
• The current Secretary-General, António Guterres of Portugal, took office in 2017, and began a second term in 2022.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. Under Article 97 of the UN Charter, who first recommends a candidate for Secretary-General, before the General Assembly formally appoints them?

The Secretariat

The Security Council

The Economic and Social Council

The International Court of Justice

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Great to Know

• India has put forward its own Secretary-General candidate before.
• In 2006, Shashi Tharoor ran as India’s official candidate, to succeed Kofi Annan.
• He came second, out of seven contenders, losing to Ban Ki-moon of South Korea.
• Since 1946, the UN has had nine Secretaries-General, starting with Trygve Lie of Norway.
• Others include Dag Hammarskjöld, U Thant, Kurt Waldheim, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Kofi Annan, and Ban Ki-moon.
• Guterres’s second term ends on 31 December 2026.

Current Affairs

• As of August 2026, the selection process for the next Secretary-General is actively underway. (Source: NPR)
• Several candidates are competing for Security Council backing, ahead of a General Assembly vote later in 2026. (Source: NPR)
• Guterres has said he intends to spend his final months in office focused on his existing priorities, rather than campaigning for a successor. (Source: UN News)