Appointment of the Secretary-General under agenda item 113

On the recommendation of its General Committee, the General Assembly decided to include on the agenda of its current session an item on the “appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations”, paving the way for the 192-member body to take up that issue before the expiration of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s first term of office on 31 December.

The Assembly included that issue under its “Organizational, administrative and other matters” heading as item 163 and decided to consider it directly in plenary.

Also on the General Committee’s recommendation, the Assembly included a sub-item on the “Appointment of ad litem judges of the United Nations Dispute Tribunal” under its agenda item 113, covering appointments to fill vacancies in subsidiary organs, and other appointments, which it would consider also directly in plenary.  Both recommendations were contained in the General Committee’s third report (document A/65/250/Add.2).

The United Nations Secretary-General is elected by Member States under a process outlined in Article 97 of the United Nations Charter, upon nomination by the Security Council.  A number of General Assembly resolutions complement the Charter’s provisions, including resolution 11/1 (1946), which set the Secretary-General’s term of office at five years (renewable), established that a single nominee be recommended to the Assembly by the Security Council, and outlined that a simple majority would be necessary for the appointment, unless the Assembly itself decided to require a two-thirds majority.