Statement by H.E. Rabab Fatima, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN at the Thematic Debate on the Selection and Appointment of the UN Secretary-General and other executive heads Tuesday, 16 June 2020

We thank the Co-chairs of the Ad hoc Working Group for convening this final debate in this series of thematic debates for revitalization of the General Assembly. This is perhaps the most important topic in the agenda of the Working Group this year, as the process of selection and appointment of the next UN Secretary General approaches. I also thank the Assistant Secretary General Martha Lopez for her excellent briefing.

Bangladesh aligns itself with the statement delivered by the representative of Algeria on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. In addition, we would like to make some points in our national capacity.

First: The mandate of the General Assembly in the selection and appointment process for the Secretary General, as enshrined in Article 97 of UN Charter and the relevant GA Resolutions including the most recent one, namely, Res 73/341 , should be fully complied with to ensure that the process remains democratic, participatory and inclusive. In this regard we welcome the circulation of names/nominations, received so far, among the member States through a joint letter by the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council.

Second: We recall the decision of the General Assembly in its resolution 69/321 para 42, to conduct informal dialogues or meetings with candidates for the position of Secretary-General, without any prejudice to any candidate who does not participate, and thus contributing to the transparency and inclusivity of the process. In this regard, we strongly recommend this practice to continue without any deviation and also encourage all nominees to participate in such dialogues and meetings.

In this regard we also request the Ad hoc Working Group to explore the possibility for the incumbent Secretary-General to present a vision statement for the next term and to brief the Member States on its content, as recommended in paragraph 43 of resolution 73/341.

Third: In the course of the identification and appointment of the best candidate for the post of Secretary-General, due regard should continue to be given to regional rotation and gender balance.

Fourth: We refer to the call made in the resolution 73/341 for the possibility of providing with notional timelines for the process of selection and appointment of the Secretary-General. We believe to ensure compliance of the provisions laid down in the Charter and the Resolution, it is important that the general assembly resolution is tabled in a timely manner.

Fifth: We recall the decision of Res 73/341/ (para 43), to consolidate the advances gained in the relevant Assembly resolutions and explore possible steps to further improve the process, including the collaboration between the Assembly and the Security Council, consistent with Article 97 of the Charter. In this regard we request the Ad Hoc Working Group to consider developing a compendium of best practices for future references.

Sixth: For the selection and appointment of executive heads of the UN system and Senior Management Group, we take positive note of the request by the Secretariat to all member States encouraging the nomination of candidates to supplement the Secretary General’s search to ensure a wide pool of candidates for these positions welcoming in particular the nominations of women candidates. We reiterate that gender balance and geographical balance should underpin the process without compromising the competence, efficiency and integrity of candidates. In this regard, we commend the Secretary General for achieving gender balance in senior management, and call for its systemwide application.

To conclude, I congratulate you Co-chairs for your hard work in this difficult circumstances, and assure you of our delegation’s full cooperation in fulfilling your mandate.

I thank you all.