Slovenia, a European member of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) informal working group at the United Nations, which supports greater transparency in the selection process of the next secretary-general, appears to be softening its calls for more openness in the procedure.
Samuel Zbogar, Slovenia’s permanent representative to the UN, told reporters on Dec. 1 that member states must strike a balance between having a transparent process and exposing candidates to too much public scrutiny as the organization officially kicked off the process on Nov. 25 to elect its next leader for the 2027-2031 term.
Zbogar added that candidates might be dissuaded from applying for the role, given the questioning they might be exposed to in General Assembly hearings as part of the procedure. (The Security Council is also expected to interview candidates, but behind closed doors.)
“There is this dilemma on how to get the balance between transparency and the proper process,” Zbogar said at UN headquarters as Slovenia assumes its last rotating presidency in its two year-term in the Security Council. “I think we have to find a balance, so that we don’t expose the candidates too much, [or] put them in difficult situations during the process, but at the same time to get the best candidate.”
Zbogar explained in a separate email to PassBlue that throughout the UN’s history, various models have been used in selecting the secretary-general. Initially, the focus was on finding the most suitable candidates, and later it shifted to having individuals present themselves through a nomination process, which gradually incorporated election campaigns.
“To uphold the principle of transparency,” he said, “it is essential to ensure that the selection process reflects the significance of the role. Particular attention should be paid to maintaining the integrity of the candidates. A well-designed process is necessary to guarantee that the most exceptional candidates are encouraged to apply and that they actually apply.”
Jane Kinninmont, the chief executive officer of United Nations Association of the United Kingdom, a grassroots membership organization that promotes the work of the UN, told PassBlue in an email that the next top UN diplomat should expect extensive public scrutiny during the race and after clinching the seat.
“They’ll have to expect scrutiny from many governments and intelligence agencies as well as journalists and civil society organisations in the course of their duties, as the UN Secretary General needs to do sensitive, complex and sometimes contentious work,” she said.
Ben Donaldson, an adviser to 1 for 8 Billion, a nongovernmental coalition focusing on the secretary-general selection process, said that an open race would be vital for promising candidates, allowing them to build a groundswell of support beyond UN member states.
The UN started the selection process for the next UN boss by issuing a joint letter on Nov. 25 from the respective presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council, the main decision-making organs of the 193-member organization. The letter invited member states to nominate candidates.
The process has traditionally been led by the permanent members of the Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — and while the five still largely decide who becomes the UN chief, member states and civil society have made progress forcing the procedure to be more accessible to the public rather than relying on a Vatican-style smoke signal announcing the news.
For the first time, in 2016, the General Assembly held an informal public screening where candidates presented their credentials and were grilled by national delegations on the nominees’ fitness for the top UN job. They then spoke to news reporters after each session, taking questions for about 15 minutes.
Nearly a decade later, civil society groups criticized the Assembly for not codifying the process, when in September 2025 it adopted Resolution 79/327, which partly concentrates on the selection process of the UN boss (sections 38-46). Despite the technical shortfall, the resolution was praised for stipulating that candidates should declare their sources of funding during their campaigns; for providing a more structured timeline for the selection process; for strongly considering the nomination of women as candidates; and for recommending that nominees who have positions in the UN “should consider” suspending their work while running for office.
The 193 member states also agreed by consensus that candidates for the office should each present a vision statement following their nomination. The statements will be posted on a dedicated public website making them accessible to the world.
However, Daniel Forti, who heads UN affairs at the International Crisis Group think tank, said a more open, transparent process “presents a double-edged sword” for candidates.
“They can use these public platforms to contrast their visions for the UN from those of their peers, winning support from the wider UN membership and civil society along the way,” he said. “But in doing so, they must also avoid running afoul of the Security Council’s permanent members, who can use their vetoes to end any candidate’s campaign.”
As Slovenia leads the Council this month, Zbogar said his capital, Ljubljana, would hold an open debate, titled “Leadership for Peace,” on Dec. 15, to allow all countries to say what they wanted in the next secretary-general. By gathering these perspectives, he said, the Council can communicate the qualities and abilities they expect from the future UN chief, particularly as the organization navigates growing challenges stemming from its perennial financial crisis and dwindling influence as a global peacemaker and mediator of conflicts.
“The role of the secretary-general is an impossible job,” Zbogar said to reporters, adding that the job required several skills: as a manager, as a peacekeeper and as a moral authority. “We want to give an opportunity to member states to express the kind of role the UN needs at this time.”
Apart from the Leadership for Peace debate, Slovenia, with Algeria and Denmark, are leading a Council visit to Damascus, Syria, and Beirut, Lebanon, this week to improve diplomatic relations with the UN and the two countries, as well as to spend a day at the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, Unifil, which is due to close by the end of 2026. The Council’s trip to Syria is a first for the body; it has been six years since the Council went to the Mideast, Zbogar said.
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Damilola Banjo is an award-winning staff reporter for PassBlue who has covered a wide range of topics, from Africa-centered stories to gender equality to UN peacekeeping and US-UN relations. She also oversees all video production for PassBlue. She was a Dag Hammarskjold fellow in 2023 and a Pulitzer Center postgraduate fellow in 2021. She was part of the BBC Africa team that produced the Emmy-nominated documentary, “Sex for Grades.” In addition, she worked for WFAE, an NPR affiliate in Charlotte, N.C. Banjo has a master’s of science degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and an undergraduate degree from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.
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