Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations
The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations is the deputy to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The office was created to handle many of the administrative responsibilities of the Secretary-General, help manage Secretariat operations, and ensure coherence of activities and programs.[2][3] The post was formally established by the General Assembly at the end of 1997.[1]
Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations | |
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![]() Emblem of the United Nations | |
United Nations United Nations Secretariat | |
Style | Her Excellency |
Reports to | The Secretary-General |
Seat | UN Headquarters New York City, USA |
Appointer | The Secretary-General The Secretary-General appoints the Deputy Secretary-General following consultations with Member States and in accordance with Article 101 of the Charter of the United Nations.[1] |
Term length | See below The term of office of the Deputy Secretary-General must not exceed that of the Secretary-General.[1] |
Constituting instrument | General Assembly Resolution 52/12 B[1] |
Precursor | Deputy Secretary-General of the League of Nations |
Inaugural holder | ![]() |
Formation | 1997 |
Website | Deputy Secretary-General |
Amina J. Mohammed of Nigeria was named Deputy Secretary-General by then Secretary-General-designate António Guterres. Mohammed assumed the office the same day as Guterres began his term, on 1 January 2017.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities generally delegated by the Secretary-General to the Deputy Secretary-General include:[4]
- (a) To assist the Secretary-General in managing the operations of the Secretariat;
- (b) To act for the Secretary-General at United Nations Headquarters in the absence of the Secretary-General and in other cases as may be decided by the Secretary-General;
- (c) To support the Secretary-General in ensuring inter-sectoral and inter-institutional coherence of activities and programs and to support the Secretary-General in elevating the profile and leadership of the United Nations in the economic and social spheres, including further efforts to strengthen the United Nations as a leading centre for development policy and development assistance;
- (d) To represent the Secretary-General at conferences, official functions and ceremonial and other occasions as may be decided by the Secretary-General;
- (e) To undertake such assignments as may be determined by the Secretary-General;
The Director in the Office of the Deputy Secretary-General is a sitting observer of the United Nations Development Group.[5]
History
Canadian Louise Fréchette was the first Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, holding the position from 1998 to 2005. She was appointed to the post by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and assumed her duties on 2 March 1998. In 2005, partly in response to criticism by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker for failed management of the Iraq Oil-for-Food Programme, Frechette announced her resignation. She remained at her post until 31 March 2006.[4]
On 3 March 2006 it was announced that Mark Malloch Brown from the United Kingdom would succeed Louise Fréchette as Deputy Secretary-General on 1 April 2006. Brown left his post concurrent with Kofi Annan's departure as Secretary-General on 31 December 2006.[4]
List of Deputy Secretaries-General
No. | Deputy Secretary-General | Portrait | Country | Term | Secretary-General |
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1 | Louise Fréchette | ![]() |
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2 March 1998 – 1 April 2006 | ![]() |
2 | Mark Malloch Brown | ![]() |
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1 April 2006 – 31 December 2006 | |
3 | Asha-Rose Migiro | ![]() |
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5 February 2007 – 1 July 2012 | ![]() |
4 | Jan Eliasson | ![]() |
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1 July 2012 – 31 December 2016 | |
5 | Amina J. Mohammed[6] | ![]() |
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1 January 2017 – present | ![]() |
![](../I/Deputy_UNSG_countries.PNG.webp)
UN Regional Group | Deputy Secretaries-General |
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Western European and Others | 3 |
Eastern European Group | 0 |
Latin American and Caribbean Group | 0 |
Asia-Pacific Group | 0 |
African Group | 2 |
References
- United Nations. General Assembly (52nd Session) (1998-01-09). "Renewing the United Nations: a program for reform (A/RES/52/12 B)" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-01-08.
- United Nations. General Assembly (52nd Session) (1997-10-07). "Report of the Secretary-General, Addendum (A/51/950/Add.1)" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-11-20.
- United Nations. General Assembly (52nd Session) (1997-11-10). "Letter dated 10 November 1997 from the Secretary-General to the President of the General Assembly (A/52/585)" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-11-20.
- United Nations Dept. of Public Information. "Deputy Secretary-General". Archived from the original on 2007-01-11. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-11. Retrieved 2013-08-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Respecting gender parity and geographical diversity pledges, SG-designate Guterres appoints core team members". UN News Centre. United Nations. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.