Eight candidates nominated for the next Secretary General of United Nations election

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, 66 (currently head of the UNDP); Former Macedonian Foreign Minister Srgjan Kerim, 67; Montenegro Foreign Minister Igor Luksic; Former Slovenian President Danilo Turk, 64; Former UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, 66 (Portugal). The candidates appear before the UN General Assembly this week and are making campaign-style pitches. Applications, letters of motivation and resumés have been published and can be viewed online. These are the first “public hustings” in the organisation’s 70-year history. It indicates an attempt to democratise the secretive nomination process controlled by the Security Council’s five “veto powers”; namely the US, Russia, Britain, China and France. Having made its choice, the 15-member Security Council will formally recommend the candidate to the 193-member General Assembly at the start of its next session in October. Than the next UN chief will be revealed.