Secretary-General of the United Nations

The United Nations’ chief administrative officer and chief diplomat, appointed by the General Assembly on the Security Council’s recommendation.

United Nations Charter: The founding treaty that sets out the United Nations’ purposes, organs, powers, and operating rules. Article 97 establishes the appointment procedure, while Article 99 permits the Secretary-General to raise threats to peace.
League of Nations: An international organization founded after World War I to promote cooperation and collective security. Its secretariat helped shape the administrative model inherited by the United Nations.
Preventive diplomacy: Diplomatic action intended to prevent disputes from escalating into conflict or to limit their spread. Secretaries-General use mediation and envoys to reduce tensions before violence widens.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: The head of the UN Refugee Agency, which protects and assists refugees and other displaced people. Unlike this specialized agency head, the Secretary-General leads the UN Secretariat as a whole.
United Nations Secretariat: The United Nations organ composed of staff who carry out the organization’s day-to-day work. The Secretary-General leads this administrative body and oversees its personnel.
Trygve Lie: A Norwegian politician who served as the first United Nations Secretary-General from 1946 to 1952. His tenure established early expectations for the office’s political independence and public diplomacy.
United Nations good offices: The use of a United Nations official’s standing and access to facilitate dialogue between parties. The Secretary-General can offer discreet mediation without imposing a settlement.
President of the United Nations General Assembly: The elected presiding officer of the General Assembly, serving a one-year term. This role chairs Assembly proceedings; it does not lead the Secretariat or serve as the UN’s chief diplomat.
United Nations Security Council: The United Nations organ charged with maintaining international peace and security, with decisions binding on member states in specified cases. Its recommendation is required before the General Assembly appoints a Secretary-General.
Dag Hammarskjöld: A Swedish diplomat who served as United Nations Secretary-General from 1953 until his death in 1961. His activism and conception of the office strongly influenced later Secretaries-General.

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