Secretary-General of the United Nations

Secretary-General of the United Nations
Other official names
  • أمين عام الأمم المتحدة (Arabic)
    联合国秘书长 (Chinese)
    Secrétaire Général des Nations Unies (French)
    Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas (Spanish)
    Генеральный секретарь ООН (Russian)
Incumbent
António Guterres
since 1 January 2017 (2017-01-01)
United Nations Secretariat
StyleHis Excellency
TypeChief administrative officer
AbbreviationUNSG
Member ofSecretariat
General Assembly
ResidenceSutton Place, New York City
SeatUnited Nations Headquarters, New York City (international territory)
NominatorSecurity Council
AppointerGeneral Assembly
Term lengthFive years, renewable
(traditionally limited to two terms)
Constituting instrumentUnited Nations Charter
PrecursorSecretary-General of the League of Nations
Formation24 October 1945
First holderGladwyn Jebb
as acting Secretary-General
Trygve Lie
as first Secretary-General
DeputyDeputy Secretary-General
Websiteun.org/sg

The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG, SG or SecGen) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.

The role of the secretary-general and of the secretariat is laid out by Chapter XV (Articles 97 to 101) of the United Nations Charter. However, the office's qualifications, selection process and tenure are open to interpretation; they have been established by custom.[1]

  1. ^ Urquhart, Brian (28 January 2009). "The Next Secretary-General: How to Fill a Job With No Description". Foreign Affairs: America and the World. ISSN 0015-7120. Retrieved 3 September 2020.