The UN Secretary-General Selection Process After the First Straw Poll

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR’s Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Senior Policy Analyst Sara Bertotti to discuss recent developments in the UN Secretary-General selection and appointment process following the first Security Council straw poll. This episode reviews the results of the 30 July straw poll, including the relatively high number of “no opinion expressed” votes, and discusses Council responses to a last-minute nomination before the informal vote took place. It also examines the balance between the roles of the Security Council and the General Assembly, and whether the straw poll results should be made public.  SCR's 29 July What’s in Blue story: First Security Council Straw Poll on UN Secretary-General Candidates  SCR's 2026 Research Report: Power, Process and Participation: The Search for the Next Secretary-General SCR's 2017 Research Report: The UN Secretary-General Selection and Appointment Process: Emerging from the Shadows For more information, please see our website Explore ways of supporting our work here Follow us: @SCRtweets Subscribe here for updates Episode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar