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The Secretary-General of the United Nations is recommended by the Security Council and appointed by the General Assembly. Their responsibilities include consulting world leaders, attending UN meetings, and addressing agency management issues. They must ensure member countries are informed about international problems and use their “good offices” to ease tensions. Kofi Annan focused on peace and reform during his tenure, including the creation of the Deputy Secretary-General position and the Millennium Report. Ban Ki-Moon aims to continue the goals of the Millennium Report but must recognize the limitations of his position and gain approval from the General Assembly.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is recommended by the Security Council and appointed by the General Assembly. The responsibilities included in this position are many, as it symbolizes the United Nations (UN). The Secretary-General is entrusted with tasks by all bodies within the United Nations system. The day-to-day duties of the UN Secretary-General consist of consulting world leaders, attending UN committee meetings, and traveling around the world to keep abreast of global concerns in member states. This person also heads the Administrative Coordination Committee, which allows her to meet with heads of UN agencies, funds, and programs to address agency management issues.
One of the main responsibilities of the Secretary-General of the United Nations is to ensure that member countries are informed about urgent and developing international problems. This duty must be fulfilled even at the risk of disagreeing with the Member States. The person’s ability to perform this task is enhanced by the capacity of “good offices” available to him. Through both private and public channels, the Secretary General can hold discussions with interested parties in order to ease international tensions.
Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006, has often used his capacity for “good offices” to achieve peace in a series of international conflicts. Conflicts within Africa have been of particular significance to Secretary Annan, who hails from Ghana. A United Nations report titled “The Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Lasting Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa” summarized his efforts to promote higher development within the continent.
Another area Annan focused on during his tenure was reform. In terms of administrative improvements, zero growth budgets and better management practices have been achieved. The organizational structure was further improved with the creation of the position of Deputy Secretary General. Overall, the reforms initiated by Annan have helped the United Nations better achieve its goals.
One of Annan’s most important achievements was the 2000 Millennium Report titled “We the People: The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century.” The report outlined vital development goals, including massive reductions in global poverty. One of the most comprehensive reports published in the 55-year history of the United Nations, it underlined Secretary-General Annan’s aim to encourage member states to do better to alleviate pressing international issues and the value he placed on the positive effects of globalization and technological progress.
Ban Ki-Moon, who replaced Kofi Annan as UN Secretary-General in 2006, is set to continue with the goals of the Millennium Report by formulating his own goals. The position is, to some extent, determined by the person who holds it, and Secretary General Ki-Moon faces many challenges, one of the most important of which is recognizing the limitations of his position. As with previous Secretaries-General, the reforms and goals that Ki-Moon intends to implement must ultimately have the approval of the General Assembly, the United Nations body representing all member states.
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