Secretary-General of the United Nations facts for kids

The Secretary-General of the United Nations (often called the UN Secretary-General or UNSG) is like the main leader and manager of the United Nations. They are in charge 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 the United Nations Charter. However, many details about how someone becomes Secretary-General and how long they serve have been decided over time by tradition.

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
Salary	$ 227,253 per annum (2024)

How the Secretary-General Is Chosen

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

The Secretary-General is chosen by the General Assembly. This happens after the Security Council suggests a candidate. 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 to a candidate, which is called a veto. Because of this, the person chosen is often someone who is acceptable to all major powers.

There are also some unofficial rules for who can be chosen. For example, the person cannot be a citizen of any of the five permanent Security Council members. Also, the UN tries to choose people from different parts of the world and hopes to have a woman in the role one day. So far, all Secretaries-General have been experienced diplomats.

Term Length

The Secretary-General usually serves for five years. They can be chosen again for a second term. Most Secretaries-General since 1961 have served two terms. There isn't a strict limit on how many terms someone can serve, but usually, they don't try for a third term.

The process of choosing the Secretary-General used to be very private. However, in 2016, the General Assembly tried to make it more open. They asked for nominations and held public discussions. Still, the Security Council made its final decision in private.

What the Secretary-General Does

The UN Charter says the Secretary-General is the "chief administrative officer" of the UN. This means they are in charge of the UN's daily operations and staff. The Secretary-General can also tell the Security Council about any issue that they think might threaten world peace. They also do other tasks given to them by different UN groups.

The UN describes the Secretary-General's job as being a mix of different roles:

• Advocate: Speaking up for people around the world and for UN goals.
• Diplomat: Working with countries to solve problems peacefully.
• Civil Servant: Managing the UN's large staff and operations.
• Chief Executive Officer: Leading the entire UN system.

The Secretary-General's daily duties include:

• Overseeing the work of the UN staff.
• Attending meetings with different UN groups.
• Talking with world leaders and government officials.
• Traveling globally to highlight important international issues.

They also publish a yearly report about the UN's work, explaining what has been done and what needs to be focused on next. The Secretary-General also leads a group of heads from all UN funds and agencies, who meet twice a year to discuss important issues.

Many of the Secretary-General's powers are informal. They often use their "good offices" to help prevent international disagreements from starting or getting worse. This means they use their independent and fair position to talk to different sides and find solutions. People sometimes call the job the "world's moderator" because they help bring people together. For example, past Secretaries-General have helped calm down conflicts, like the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Official Home

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

Past Secretaries-General

No.	Portrait	Name	Time in Office			Country	UN Regional Group	Key Facts
			Started	Ended	Total Time
Acting		Jebb, GladwynGladwyn Jebb	24 October 1945	2 February 1946	101 days	United Kingdom	Western European and Others	He was the acting Secretary-General when the UN was first being set up after World War II.
1		Lie, TrygveTrygve Lie	2 February 1946	10 November 1952	6 years, 282 days	Norway	Western European and Others	He was the first official Secretary-General. He resigned in 1952.
2		Hammarskjöld, DagDag Hammarskjöld	10 April 1953	18 September 1961 †	8 years, 312 days	Sweden	Western European and Others	He was re-elected for a second term. He sadly died in a plane crash in 1961 while on a peace mission. He won the Nobel Peace Prize after his death.
Acting		Thant, UU Thant	3 November 1961	30 November 1962	1 year, 27 days	Burma	Asia-Pacific	He was the first Secretary-General from Asia. He served as acting Secretary-General before being fully appointed.
3			30 November 1962	31 December 1971	9 years, 31 days			He was reappointed for a full term and did not seek a third term.
4		Waldheim, KurtKurt Waldheim	1 January 1972	31 December 1981	9 years, 364 days	Austria	Western European and Others	He served two terms. After his time at the UN, he became the president of Austria.
5		Pérez de Cuéllar, JavierJavier Pérez de Cuéllar	1 January 1982	31 December 1991	9 years, 364 days	Peru	Latin American and Caribbean	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	1 January 1992	31 December 1996	4 years, 365 days	Egypt	African	He was the first Secretary-General from Africa. He served one term.
7		Annan, KofiKofi Annan	1 January 1997	31 December 2006	9 years, 364 days	Ghana	African	He was also from Africa and served two terms. He and the United Nations won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.
8		Ban Ki-moon	1 January 2007	31 December 2016	9 years, 365 days	South Korea	Asia-Pacific	He was the first Secretary-General from East Asia. He served two terms. Before this, he was the Foreign Minister of South Korea.
9		Guterres, AntónioAntónio Guterres	1 January 2017	Incumbent	8 years, 216 days	Portugal Timor-Leste	Western European and Others and Asia-Pacific	He is the current Secretary-General. He was the prime minister of Portugal before taking this role. His second term began on January 1, 2022.

Images for kids

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

Secretaries-General by Region

See also

In Spanish: Secretaría General de las Naciones Unidas para niños

• Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations