In resolution 77/335 of 1 September 2023, the General Assembly requested the Secretariat to establish, within existing resources, a dedicated webpage in all six official languages to serve as a repository of the relevant information, including vision statements, joint letters and General Assembly resolutions related to the selection and appointment process of the Secretary-General.
In accordance with Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations, the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security Council.
Mr. António Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1 January 2017. His predecessors were:
- Ban Ki-moon (Republic of Korea), who held office from January 2007 to December 2016;
- Kofi A. Annan (Ghana), who held office from January 1997 to December 2006;
- Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Egypt), who held office from January 1992 to December 1996;
- Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (Peru), who served from January 1982 to December 1991;
- Kurt Waldheim (Austria), who held office from January 1972 to December 1981;
- U Thant (Burma, now Myanmar), who served from November 1961, when he was appointed acting Secretary-General (he was formally appointed Secretary-General in November 1962) to December 1971;
- Dag Hammarskjöld (Sweden), who served from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in Africa in September 1961; and
- Trygve Lie (Norway), who held office from February 1946 to his resignation in November 1952.