Earlier in June, the UN General Assembly held a second round of hearings, as they considered two new candidates: Miroslav Lajčák, the Foreign Minister of Slovakia, and Susana Malcorra, the Foreign Minister of Argentina. There is currently no deadline for nominations. The hearings featured several questions from 1 for 7 Billion supporters.

In a recent op-ed, the President of the General Assembly argued that the dialogues reveal the Member States’ wish for a “strong and independent” Secretary-General. A summary of the June 7th proceedings is available from the 1 for 7 Billion campaign.

Following these two rounds of hearings in the General Assembly, the Security Council will officially begin to consider the candidates on July 21st. The Security Council announced the date of its first “straw poll” in a letter to the President of the General Assembly.

Under the UN Charter, the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly “upon the recommendation” of the Security Council. Straw polls are used by the Council to identify which candidates enjoy the broadest support from its members. All of the official candidates are expected to be included in the straw poll. Additional candidates may also come forward.