Secretary-General of the United Nations facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Secretary-General of the United Nations
Flag of the United Nations
Emblem of the United Nations
Incumbent António Guterres since 1 January 2017 (2017-01-01)
United Nations Secretariat
Style	His Excellency
Abbreviation	UNSECGEN
Member of	Secretariat General Assembly
Residence	Sutton Place, New York City
Seat	United Nations Headquarters, New York City (international territory)
Nominator	Security Council
Appointer	General Assembly
Term length	Five years, renewable (traditionally limited to two terms)
Constituting instrument	United Nations Charter
Precursor	Secretary-General of the League of Nations
Formation	24 October 1945
First holder	Gladwyn Jebb as acting Secretary-General Trygve Lie as first Secretary-General
Deputy	Deputy Secretary-General
Website	un.org/sg

The Secretary-General of the United Nations (often called the UNSG) is like the main leader and manager of the United Nations (UN). This person is the head of the United Nations Secretariat, which is one of the six main parts of the UN.

The job of the Secretary-General and the Secretariat is explained in Chapter XV of the United Nations Charter. However, how someone qualifies for the job, how they are chosen, and how long they serve has mostly been decided over time by tradition.

Choosing the UN Secretary-General and Their Term

The Secretariat Building is a tall skyscraper. It is the main building at the Headquarters of the United Nations.

The General Assembly chooses the Secretary-General. But first, the Security Council must recommend a person. The Security Council has five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Any of these five countries can say "no" (veto) a candidate. This means the person chosen is usually someone everyone can agree on. They often come from countries that are not major world powers.

Who Can Be Secretary-General?

Over the years, some unofficial rules have developed for who can be chosen.

• The person cannot be a citizen of any of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
• The UN tries to pick candidates from different parts of the world. This helps make sure all regions get a turn.
• The UN also aims for gender equality, meaning they hope to have a woman Secretary-General one day. So far, all have been men.
• Most people chosen for this role have been experienced diplomats. This means they are skilled in international relations.

How Long Does the Secretary-General Serve?

The length of the term is not strictly fixed. However, since 1971, all Secretaries-General have served for five years. Most have also been chosen for a second five-year term.

There is no official limit on how many terms someone can serve. But usually, Secretaries-General do not try for a third term. For example, Kurt Waldheim was blocked from a third term in 1981.

How the Secretary-General is Chosen

The process of choosing the Secretary-General is often kept private. Since 1981, the Security Council has voted in secret. They hold several "straw polls" to see who has the most support. Then, they recommend the winning candidate to the General Assembly. The General Assembly has never rejected a candidate recommended by the Security Council.

In 2016, the General Assembly tried to make the process more open. They asked for nominations and held public discussions with candidates. However, the Security Council still made its final decision in private.

What the Secretary-General Does

The Secretary-General has many important jobs. They act as a spokesperson, a diplomat, a public servant, and the main leader of the UN. The UN Charter says the Secretary-General is the "chief administrative officer" of the UN. It also allows them to do other tasks given by other UN groups.

The Charter also gives the Secretary-General a special power. They can tell the Security Council about "any matter" that they think might threaten world peace and safety. This means they can speak up about serious global issues.

Daily Tasks and Responsibilities

The Secretary-General's regular duties include:

• Overseeing the work of the Secretariat, which is the UN's main office.
• Attending meetings with different UN groups.
• Talking with world leaders, government officials, and other important people.
• Traveling around the world to meet people and highlight important global problems.
• Publishing a yearly report about the UN's work. This report talks about what the UN has done and what its future goals are.
• Leading the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB). This group includes the heads of all UN funds and programs. They meet twice a year to discuss important issues.

Informal Powers and "Good Offices"

Many of the Secretary-General's powers are not written down. They depend on the person in the role. Some Secretaries-General have been very active in solving problems. Others have focused more on managing the UN's daily operations.

A key informal power is using their "good offices." This means taking steps, both publicly and privately, to prevent international disagreements from starting or getting worse. They do this by being independent, fair, and honest. People have called the Secretary-General the "world's most visible bully pulpit" or the "world's moderator."

For example:

• Dag Hammarskjöld helped create a peace agreement during the Arab–Israeli conflict.
• Javier Pérez de Cuéllar helped negotiate a ceasefire in the Iran–Iraq War.
• U Thant played a role in calming down the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Where the Secretary-General Lives

The official home of the Secretary-General is a townhouse in New York City. It is located at 3 Sutton Place, Manhattan. This house was built in 1921 and was given to the United Nations in 1972.

Past Secretaries-General

No.	Portrait	Secretary-General (Born–Died)	Started Job	Left Job	Home Country	UN Regional Group	Notes
Acting		Jebb, GladwynGladwyn Jebb (1900–1996)	24 October 1945	2 February 1946	United Kingdom	Western European and Others	Jebb was the acting Secretary-General right after World War II. He served until the first official Secretary-General was chosen.
1		Lie, TrygveTrygve Lie (1896–1968)	2 February 1946	10 November 1952	Norway	Western European and Others	Lie was the first official Secretary-General. He resigned in 1952 after facing opposition from the Soviet Union.
2		Hammarskjöld, DagDag Hammarskjöld (1905–1961)	10 April 1953	18 September 1961	Sweden	Western European and Others	Hammarskjöld was re-elected for a second term. He died in a plane crash in 1961 while working for peace. He won the Nobel Peace Prize after his death.
Acting		Thant, UU Thant (1909–1974)	3 November 1961	30 November 1962	Burma	Asia-Pacific	U Thant was the first Asian Secretary-General. He was first appointed as acting Secretary-General. He was later re-elected for a full term. He did not seek a third term.
3			30 November 1962	31 December 1971
4		Waldheim, KurtKurt Waldheim (1918–2007)	1 January 1972	31 December 1981	Austria	Western European and Others	Waldheim served two terms. China blocked his re-election for a third term. He later became the president of Austria.
5		Pérez de Cuéllar, JavierJavier Pérez de Cuéllar (1920–2020)	1 January 1982	31 December 1991	Peru	Latin American and Caribbean	Pérez de Cuéllar was chosen after a long debate. He was the first and only Secretary-General from the Americas. He was re-elected for a second term.
6		Boutros-Ghali, BoutrosBoutros Boutros-Ghali (1922–2016)	1 January 1992	31 December 1996	Egypt	African	Many countries wanted the next Secretary-General to be from Africa. Boutros-Ghali was chosen. The United States later blocked his re-appointment.
7		Annan, KofiKofi Annan (1938–2018)	1 January 1997	31 December 2006	Ghana	African	Annan was recommended by the Security Council. He was confirmed by the General Assembly. He started his second term in 2002. Kofi Annan and the United Nations won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.
8		Ban Ki-moon (b. 1944)	1 January 2007	31 December 2016	South Korea	Asia-Pacific	Ban was the first Secretary-General from East Asia. He was also the second Asian overall. He was unanimously re-elected for a second term. Before this, he was the Foreign Minister of South Korea.
9		Guterres, AntónioAntónio Guterres (b. 1949)	1 January 2017	Incumbent	Portugal and  Timor-Leste	Western European and Others and Asia-Pacific	Guterres was the first former head of government to become Secretary-General. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002. His second term began in 2022. He also has citizenship from East Timor.

Secretaries-General by Region

The UN divides the world into different regional groups. This table shows how many Secretaries-General have come from each group.

Images for kids

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  Map showing which nations have had a national serving as Secretary-General of the United Nations

More Information

• Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations