Candidates for next UN chief to face member states for first time

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 10 (APP): The selection process for a new United Nations Secretary-General, traditionally decided behind closed-doors by the five permanent members of Security Council, will for the first time in the organization’s 70-year history involve public discussions with each candidate campaigning for the world’s top diplomatic post.
Each of the current eight candidates will be formally introduced to the General Assembly “which includes representatives from all 193 Member States, and Observers, the State of Palestine and the Holy See” in three days of informal dialogues beginning on Tuesday. The general public can ask questions through civil society members and social media.
“This is a potentially game changing process,” Mogens Lykketoft, the Assembly’s current President, said.This will be yet another occasion to increase transparency around the whole machinery of the United Nations, through that also the influence of a broader public on what we do here.