The UN Secretary-General Selection Process After the First Straw Poll

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR’s Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Policy Analyst Rodrigo Saad to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping geopolitics and international peace and security. Drawing on SCR’s recent research, they examine the risks posed by AI, from cyber threats and disinformation to autonomous weapons and increasingly capable AI systems, as well as its potential to strengthen UN conflict prevention, mediation, and peacekeeping. The episode also explores the Security Council’s response to these developments and what members can do to engage more systematically with emerging technologies, including the recent announcement by Greece and Latvia of plans to establish an Informal Expert Group on Technology, Peace and Security—an initiative proposed in SCR’s research.SCR’s September 2026 Policy Paper: Artificial Intelligence, Geopolitics, and the UN Security CouncilSCR’s March 2026 Research Report: Maintaining International Peace and Security in the Age of Rapid Technological Change: Is the Security Council Wired for Purpose?For more information, please see our website.Explore ways of supporting our work here.Follow us: @SCRtweetsSubscribe here for updates 

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR’s Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Senior Policy Analyst Sara Bertotti to catch up on developments in the UN Secretary-General selection and appointment process since SCR’s last podcast on this issue. This episode focuses on recent Security Council straw polls, examining some unusual voting shifts and concerns about tactical voting and the viability of the current set of candidates. It also looks at what the first colour-coded ballot on 16 October might reveal. SCR’s 6 October What’s in Blue story: Fifth Security Council Straw Poll on UN Secretary-General CandidatesSCR’s 2026 Research Report: Power, Process and Participation: The Search for the Next Secretary-General SCR’s 2017 Research Report: The UN Secretary-General Selection and Appointment Process: Emerging from the Shadows For more information, please see our website Explore ways of supporting our work here Follow us: @SCRtweets Subscribe here for updates Episode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar 

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR’s Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Senior Policy Analyst Sara Bertotti to discuss recent developments in the UN Secretary-General selection and appointment process following the second Security Council straw poll, which was held on 21 August. This episode examines what the voting pattern reveals about the state of the process, and what the coming weeks could mean for the search for the next Secretary-General.SCR’s 2026 Research Report: Power, Process and Participation: The Search for the Next Secretary-General SCR’s 2017 Research Report: The UN Secretary-General Selection and Appointment Process: Emerging from the Shadows For more information, please see our website Explore ways of supporting our work here Follow us: @SCRtweets Subscribe here for updates Episode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar 

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR's Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Managing Editor Paul Romita to discuss SCR's August 2026 In Hindsight: The Security Council in 2026: Mid-Year Scorecard and Looking Ahead. The conversation examines the Security Council's performance in the first half of 2026, a period marked by deep divisions among members amid a rapidly deteriorating international peace and security environment. It explores trends in the Council's work, including a decline in meetings and outcomes, continued difficulties in achieving consensus, and the impact of geopolitical tensions on the Council's ability to respond to major crises. The discussion also considers significant developments related to UN peace operations, the selection of the next Secretary-General, and ongoing delays in the allocation of subsidiary body chairs. It reflects on what these dynamics reveal about the Council's effectiveness and adaptability, and assesses the challenges and key decisions that lie ahead in the second half of the year.For more info, please see our websiteExplore ways of supporting our work hereFollow us: @SCRtweetsSubscribe here for updatesEpisode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR’s Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Senior Policy Analyst Sara Bertotti to discuss recent developments in the UN Secretary-General selection and appointment process following the first Security Council straw poll. This episode reviews the results of the 30 July straw poll, including the relatively high number of “no opinion expressed” votes, and discusses Council responses to a last-minute nomination before the informal vote took place. It also examines the balance between the roles of the Security Council and the General Assembly, and whether the straw poll results should be made public.  SCR's 29 July What’s in Blue story: First Security Council Straw Poll on UN Secretary-General Candidates  SCR's 2026 Research Report: Power, Process and Participation: The Search for the Next Secretary-General SCR's 2017 Research Report: The UN Secretary-General Selection and Appointment Process: Emerging from the Shadows For more information, please see our website Explore ways of supporting our work here Follow us: @SCRtweets Subscribe here for updates Episode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar 

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR's Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with SCR’s Deputy Managing Editor for What’s in Blue, Alina Entelis, to discuss her latest In Hindsight article: A Second Year of Delays in the Allocation of Subsidiary Body Chairs.  More than seven months into 2026, Council members have been unable to reach agreement on the allocation of subsidiary body chairs and vice-chairs, making it the longest period with no subsidiary body chairs and vice-chairs since this decision was first recorded in a presidential note in 1979. This episode explores the reasons for the current impasse, discusses the prolonged delay’s ramifications on the Council’s work, and proposes potential modifications to the subsidiary body allocation process.  SCR's July In Hindsight: A Second Year of Delays in the Allocation of Subsidiary Body Chairs For more info, please see our website Explore ways of supporting our work here Follow us: @SCRtweets Produced by Vladimir Sesar

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR's Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Managing Editor Paul Romita and Deputy Manging Editor Dawit Yirga to discuss SCR's latest research report: The Security Council and the Power of the Pen. The conversation explores how the penholder system shapes the Security Council’s drafting process and response to crises, and why it has become a focal point of concern for many member states. It examines growing dissatisfaction among elected members with the concentration of drafting authority in the hands of a few permanent members, and discusses how the E10 have sought to expand their role through co-penholdership and calls for more equitable burden-sharing. It also reflects on what these evolving dynamics mean for the Council’s effectiveness, transparency, and legitimacy, and considers possible avenues for reform.SCR research report: The Security Council and the Power of the Pen For more info, please see our websiteExplore ways of supporting our work hereFollow us: @SCRtweetsSubscribe here for updatesEpisode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR’s Executive Director Shamala Kandiah and Senior Policy Analyst Sara Bertotti sit down to discuss some of the highlights of their recently issued research report Power, Process and Participation: The Search for the Next Secretary-General. The report offers an analytically grounded overview of the rules, procedures, and informal practices shaping how the next UN Secretary-General will be selected and appointed. It draws lessons from the 2015/2016 process, examines dynamics and recent developments, and highlights potential challenges that may emerge while also providing options to address them.The discussion reviews the main steps of the process as well as some of the upcoming key decisions that the Council is expected to make this month, including regarding the modalities of the Council’s meetings with the candidates and of the straw polls. SCR's May In Hindsight: The Search for the Next Secretary-General SCR's 2026 Research Report: Power, Process and Participation: The Search for the Next Secretary-GeneralSCR's 2017 Research Report: The UN Secretary-General Selection and Appointment Process: Emerging from the ShadowsFor more information, please see our websiteExplore ways of supporting our work here Follow us: @SCRtweets Subscribe here for updatesEpisode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR's Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Managing Editor Paul Romita to discuss SCR’s latest In Hindsight article: The Security Council in 2025 and the Year Ahead. The conversation explores how deep divisions among Council members shaped responses to major crises. They talk about what statistics reveal about the Council dynamics in 2025 and what could be some of the key challenges ahead in 2026. SCR's January 2026 In Hindsight: The Security Council in 2025 and the Year AheadFor more info, please see our websiteExplore ways of supporting our work here Follow us: @SCRtweetsSubscribe here for updatesEpisode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR's Policy Analyst Sara Bertotti sits down with Shamala Kandiah, SCR’s Executive Director, to discuss her latest In Hindsight article: The Search for the Next UN Secretary-General Begins. Drawing on SCR’s coverage of the 2015/2016 selection and appointment process, the discussion reviews the main steps of the process while also touching upon the negotiation of the joint letter issued by the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council on 25 November. The joint letter invited member states to present their candidates for the position, officially starting the process.SCR's December In Hindsight: The Search for the Next UN Secretary-General BeginsSCR's 25 November What’s in Blue story: Appointment of the Next UN Secretary-General: Joint Letter from the Presidents of the Security Council and the General AssemblySCR's 2017 Research Report: The UN Secretary-General Selection and Appointment Process: Emerging from the ShadowsFor more info, please see our websiteExplore ways of supporting our work here Follow us: @SCRtweets Subscribe here for updatesEpisode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar