Official letter to the UN General Assembly and UN Security Council
We have launched open and digital primaries to identify the next non-male and progressive United Nations Secretary-General. And we made sure the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council were informed about our intention to present our candidate.
Read the full letter here.
London, April 19th, 2021
To the attention of President Bozkir,
To the attention of to General Assembly of the United Nations,
To the attention of H.E. Mr. DANG Dinh Quy,
To the attention of the Security Council of the United Nations,
We are writing on behalf of Forward, the global, progressive political movement, which has launched an international political campaign to challenge the UN Secretary-General selection process. Forward is organizing progressive primary elections to find a non-male, people-backed candidate to propose for the office of Secretary-General this year.
Forward represents the first effort to create a global, grassroots political movement. This effort gives a voice and a say to those longing to see a more transparent, inclusive, and ultimately effective United Nations. We foresee the primaries to be concluded by May 5th at the latest. From that date onward, the Forward candidate will be available to present a vision statement to the General Assembly and campaign among UN member states for their support.
We send this letter to notify you of this process, and to make you aware that we intend to present a candidate for the post of Secretary-General for your consideration by mid-May.
It is of course fundamental for the process of selecting the next Secretary-General to be conducted in a participatory and transparent manner, and for all candidates to be fairly assessed. We thus ask that the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations not to initiate the procedures for the selection of the Secretary-General before the conclusion of the Forward process in mid-May.
Ensuring the participation of a wider group of diverse candidates in the SG selection process will be a great service to the People of this planet, whom the United Nations has pledged to serve.
We take this opportunity to respectfully request all member states of the United Nations, and in particular those constituting the Security Council, to support this request for transparency and open participation in the selection process of the next Secretary-General. Closing the process to a candidate with demonstrated support among the world’s regions will only serve to undermine the legitimacy and public confidence in anyone you may choose.
We look forward to receiving your confirmation that the timeline will be respected.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for any questions.
Andrea Venzon & Colombe Cahen-Salvador
Forward’s Founders