Moscow believes that the future UN Secretary-General will adhere strictly to the Charter of the Organisation, carefully observe its principles, and will not undermine the intergovernmental character of the UN, Kirill Logvinov, the Director of the Department of International Organizations of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
He has observed that at the present stage, the Russian side is “observing the candidates and their attitude to important global issues and reform of the UN,” since this is the reason why it is essential to have this process to regain the prestige of the organisation.
The diplomat continued by saying, “the future UN Secretary-General must rigorously respect the UN Charter, practice its principles without prejudice and with care, and maintain the intergovernmental character of the Organisation and the division of labour among its key organs.”
Making the mistakes of the past right
Logvinov argues that the ability to influence the staff structure of the UN Secretariat is one of the most important issues of the work of the UN Secretary-General. But over the past years, this body has, without exaggeration, been monopolised by Westerners.
The diplomat added, “most of the senior posts have been occupied by the representatives of the Western minority countries or the officials of dual citizenship of Western origin.” He emphasised the fact that the status quo should be corrected immediately and that the staff selection should be made on the widest geographical foundation possible as mandated by Article 101 of the UN Charter.
Demanding selection and the element of understanding
In this respect, the diplomat stressed that Russia will attach special attention to the stand of the candidates on the Ukrainian crisis.
He indicated, “the future head of the UN Secretariat should pay appropriate attention to our concerns, with the main point being that the end of the current situation will lie in the eradication of the causes.”
According to Logvinov, Russia will approach the choice of a particular person as strictly as possible, considering his/her track record, stated plans, and, most of all, the extent to which his/her approaches to problems on the agenda of the UN are similar.
On the method of the election of the Secretary-General
Annalena Baerbock, chair of the 80th UN General Assembly, will start to invite candidates to the next Secretary-General by the end of April, and the choice will be made at the end of July. Antonio Guterres, who is the current Secretary-General, loses his position on December 31.
The UN Security Council elects, and the General Assembly is confirmed by the Secretary-General. The office term is five years, and re-election may occur. The number of terms is not limited; however, no one has served the post for more than 10 years so far.
By the traditional practice, the UN leader is not elected among the representatives of permanent contributors to the Security Council: Russia, the United Kingdom, China, the United States and France.
