Wisnumurti Guidelines

The "Wisnumurti Guidelines"
for Selecting a Candidate for Secretary-General

At the luncheon of Members of the Security Council, hosted on 14 October 1996 by the President for that month, the Permanent Representative of Honduras, H.E. Ambassador Gerardo Martinez Blanco, it was decided to begin the consultations for the Council's recommendation on the appointment of the Secretary-General (article 97 of the United Nations' Charter) in the following month.

Therefore the question was taken up by the President for November, the Permanent Representative of Indonesia, H.E. Ambassador Nugroho Wisnumurti. At the beginning of his term of office, he submitted to the members of the Security Council a set of guidelines to facilitate the process of selecting a candidate. After slight amendments, the guidelines were adopted at the luncheon he hosted on 12 November, when it was also decided to begin the decision-making process on 18 November. A first vote, on 19 November, was inconclusive.

Italy became the President of the Security Council on 1 December. The "Wisnumurti Guidelines" as they came to be known proved to be instrumental to reaching a decision by acclamation on Mr. Kofi Annan as the candidate recommended to the General Assembly on 13 December. On the same day, the Members of the Council decided that the Guidelines should be printed as a reference document for future occasions when the Council is called on to recommend the appointment of a Secretary-General. Therefore I have prepared and circulated 100 copies of the "Wisnumurti Guidelines", and sent them to, among others, the President of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General elect, the Secretariat of the Security Council, and the library of the United Nations.

On behalf of all the Members of the Security Council, I wish to express to H.E. Ambassador Nugroho Wisnumurti and his delegation our warmest thanks and appreciation for their commitment and most useful contribution.

New York, 31 December 1996

Signed

F. PAOLO FULCI
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Italy
President of the Security Council

The "Wisnumurti Guidelines" for Selecting a Candidate for Secretary-General

1. General principles

(a) The selection of a candidate for a Secretary-General shall proceed in an atmosphere of harmony among the Members of the Security Council. This will ensure not only the smooth functioning of the Council but also the effectiveness of the Secretary-General.
(b) Throughout the selection process, Members of the Council shall respect and honor the dignity of the candidate or candidates.
(c) While the decision of the Security Council to select a candidate for Secretary- General shall be taken by vote, efforts should none-the-less be exerted toward the reaching of a consensus. However, these efforts shall not unduly delay the decision-making process.
(d) The deliberations to reach agreement on a candidate for Secretary-General may be conducted in consultations of the whole of the Security Council in the absence of the representatives of the Secretary-General and members of the Secretariat.
(e) To facilitate the selection process, the consultations of the whole should only be attended by Heads of Delegation accompanied by one or two of their respective officers, or only by Heads of Delegation as appropriate.

2. Legal basis

(a) Article 97 of the Charter (see annex) ;
(b) Rule 48 of the Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Security Council (see annex) ;
(c) Rule 141 of the Rules of Procedure of the Gneral Assembly (see annex).

3. Submission of candidate(s)

(a) Any Member of the Security Council or any other Member of the United Nations may submit a candidate or candidates to the President of the Security Council.
(b) Member States may submit a candidate or candidates other than its own national.
(c) Members of the Security Council may submit the name(s) of candidate or candidates formally or informally as appropriate.
(d) Members States submitting a candidate or candidates may provide a brief curriculum vitae of the candidate or candidates.

4. List of candidate(s)

(a) The President of the Security Council shall draw up a list of the name(s) of the candidate or candidates on the basis of the submission of Member States.
(b) The list may be up-dated as and when necessary.

5. Decision-making process

(a) The list of name(s) of the candidate or candidates drawn up by the President of the Security Council in accordance with paragraph 3 shall immediately be distributed to the members of the Security Council.
(b) Unless it is decided otherwise by the Members of the Security Council, the process for selecting a candidate for Secretary-General may commence within 48 hours after the distribution of the list of name(s) of candidate or candidates.
(c) The viability of each candidate may be assessed by means of a "straw poll(s)" to be conducted in accordance with the following procedure:

_ Two types of papers will be distributed to the members of the Security Council. White papers for non-permanent members and red papers for permanent members. Each paper will contain a column listing the name of candidate or candidates, and the two columns, the first marked "encouraged" and the second "discouraged."

_ Each member of the Security Council may indicate on the appropriate paper the candidate or candidates who it wants to appropriate paper the candidate or candidates who it wants to encourage or discourage.

(d) The Security Council may hold informal consultations on the result of the straw poll. The purpose of these informal consultations is to review the situation and to determine the next step in the process.
(e) Following the consultations, the Security Council may enter into further round(s) of "straw poll(s)" on the basis of the existing list or an up-dated list which will be drawn by the President of the Council which may include new names of candidates submitted by Members States.
(f) Process (a) to (c) may be repeated as needed in order to arrive at a consensus decision. However, these efforts should not unduly delay the decision-making process.

6. Decision of the Security Council

Agreement reached by members of the Security Council at the consultations of the whole on a candidate for Secretary-General to be recommended to the General Assembly shall be formalized at a private meeting of the Council.

7. Consultation with the President of the General Assembly

The President of the Security Council may, as and when necessary inform and consult with the President of the General Assembly.

Annex

Article 97 of the Charter
The Secretariat shall comprise a Secretary-General and such staff as the Organization may require. The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. He shall be the chief administrative officer of the Organization.

Rule 48 of the Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Security Council
Unless it decides otherwise, the Security Council shall meet in public. Any recommendation to the General Assembly regarding the appointment of the Secretary- General shall be discussed and decided at a private meeting.

Rule 141 of the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly
When the Security Council has submitted its recommendation on the appointment of the Secretary-General, the General Assembly shall consider the recommendation and vote upon by secret ballot in private meeting.