The campaign for greater transparency and integrity in the selection of the next United Nations Secretary-General reached an important milestone in recent weeks. Four candidates have now publicly committed to the Integrity Principles for UN Secretary-General Campaigns, promoted by the international 1 for 8 Billion coalition
During a debate hosted by the United Nations Association – UK (UNA-UK) in May, Michelle Bachelet, María Fernanda Espinosa, and Rebeca Grynspan announced that they would uphold the five commitments set out in the Integrity Principles. A few days later, during the UN General Assembly’s interactive dialogue, Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett also publicly endorsed the initiative.
The Integrity Principles establish commitments aimed at strengthening the transparency, accountability, and independence of candidates. These include disclosing campaign funding and endorsements, engaging with civil society, participating in transparent selection processes, maintaining independence from UN Member States, and preventing conflicts of interest.
With Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett’s endorsement, four of the six candidates seeking to lead the United Nations—all of them women—have now publicly committed to the Integrity Principles. This growing support underscores the importance of raising standards of transparency and legitimacy in a process that is critical to global governance.
Plataforma CIPÓ supports and monitors initiatives that seek to make the selection of the United Nations’ leadership more open, inclusive, and accountable, strengthening civil society participation and public trust in multilateral institutions.
