Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations

An Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (USG) is a senior official within the United Nations System, normally appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Secretary-General for a renewable term of four years.

Appointment and accountability

The majority of USGs are appointed by the UN General Assembly on the recommendation of the Secretary-General for a fixed term of four years. Others (normally special envoys, Secretariat-appointees and non-programme management positions) are appointed directly by the UN Secretary-General on his own authority. However, all USGs report to the UN General Assembly through the UN Secretary-General. The only exception to this is the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services who reports directly to the General Assembly.

The distinction in method of appointment is important as USGs appointed by the General Assembly have a mandate independent of the Secretary-General, and he is therefore unable to remove them from office without the General Assembly's consent. This restriction has been seen by many commentators to weaken the Secretary-General's ability to provide strong leadership and management within the United Nations System.

Equivalent rank

Some senior posts within the UN System have the equivalent rank of Under-Secretary-General but are either not entitled or choose not to use the formal title. The most prominent example of this is the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, who is often referred to as the third most senior official within the UN System yet does not use the title of Under-Secretary-General.

Diplomatic rank

USGs have diplomatic rank equivalent to that of a national cabinet minister. Under Article 105 of the United Nations Charter they have diplomatic immunity.

Senior Management Group (SMG)

With over 50 people with the rank of Under-Secretary-General, unsurprisingly the influence and power they wield within the UN System varies dramatically. The most important USGs, controlling budgets, programmes or key activities, are also members of the Secretary-General's Senior Management Group, whose objective is to ensure strategic coherence and direction in the work of the Organization. The cabinet was approved by the General Assembly in 1997 as part of the reform proposal submitted by Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Members of the SMG are indicated on the below list by an asterisk (*).

List of Under-Secretaries-General

The following is a list of Under-Secretaries-General or those with equivalent rank. This list is not exhaustive.

Programmes and Commissions

• Babatunde Osotimehin * - Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• Konrad Osterwalder * - Rector, United Nations University (UNU)
• Antonio Maria Costa * - Director-General, United Nations Office Vienna and Chief Executive, United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP)
• Navanethem Pillay * - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR)
• Joan Clos * - Executive Director, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT)
• Ján Kubiš * - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
• Tony Lake * - United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
• Rima Khalaf * - United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA)
• Supachai Panitchpakdi * - United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
• Achim Steiner * - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Abdoulie Janneh * - Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
• Alicia Bárcena * - United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC)
• Josette Sheeran * - World Food Programme (WFP)
• António Guterres * - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• Noeleen Heyzer * - United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
• Helen Clark * - Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), also chair of the United Nations Development Group
• Ad Melkert - Associate Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• Michel Sibidé - Executive Director, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

Secretariat Officials

• Carman Lapointe-Young * - Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services
• Patricia O’Brien * - Under-Secretary-General and Legal Counsel
• B. Lynn Pascoe * - Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs
• Sergio de Queiroz Duarte * - High Representative for Disarmament Affairs
• Alain Le Roy * - Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations
• Susana Malcorra * - Under-Secretary-General for Field Support
• Valerie Amos * - Under-Secretary-General and Humanitarian Affairs Emergency Relief Coordinator
• Sha Zukang * - Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
• Muhammad Shaaban * - Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management
• Kiyotaka Akasaka * - Under-Secretary-General for Public Information
• Angela Kane * - Under-Secretary-General for Management
• Gregory B. Starr * - Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security
• Michelle Bachelet - Under-Secretary-General for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women
• Margot Wallström - Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
• Radhika Coomaraswamy - Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict
• Susan McLurg - Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions
• Kingston Rhodes - Chairman of the International Civil Service Commission
• Wolfgang Stockl - Vice-Chairman of the International Civil Service Commission
• Sergei Ordzhonikidze * - Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva
• Sahle- Work Zewde - Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi
• Antonio Maria Costa - Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna

Advisers

• Vijay Nambiar * - Special Adviser to the Secretary-General
• Nitin Desai - World Summit on the Information Society
• Philippe Douste-Blazy - Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Innovative Financing for Development
• Joseph Legwaila - Special Adviser on Africa
• Joseph V. Reed - Special Adviser to the Secretary-General
• Jeffrey Sachs - Senior Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals and Director of the United Nations Millennium Project
• Wilfried "Willi" Lemke - Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace

Special Envoys

• Cheick Sidi Diarra * - Special Envoy for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked and Small Island Developing States, Special Adviser on Africa
• Bill Clinton - Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery
• Eric Paul Schwartz - Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery
• Nafis I. Sadik - Special Envoy for AIDS in Asia
• Elizabeth Mataka - Special Envoy for Aids in Africa

Other Senior UN Positions

Deputy Secretary-General

The Deputy Secretary-General is the second highest ranking official in the UN System after the Secretary-General. Asha-Rose Mtengeti Migiro is the current office holder.

Assistant Secretary-General

An Assistant Secretary-General sits beneath an Under-Secretary-General within the UN hierarchy. Assistant Secretaries-General are often deputies within Departments or Programmes, reporting to their respective Under-Secretary-General and through him/her to the UN Secretary General.

External links

• UN Protocol and Liaison Service - List of Senior UN Officials
• List of UN Senior Management Group with biographies and photos
• Special Representatives and Envoys of the Secretary-General