Ex-UN chief Ban Ki-moon calls for single seven-year term for future secretaries-general

Former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, addresses the Security Council/UN

Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged member states to overhaul the leadership structure of the world body.

Ki-moon said this should be done by adopting a single, non-renewable seven-year term for future UN chiefs, warning that the current system weakens the independence and effectiveness of the office.

Addressing ambassadors during an open Security Council debate on “Leadership for Peace,” Ban challenged diplomats to reflect on moments in history when, despite deep rivalry, the Council was able to select leaders capable of steering the international community away from catastrophe and towards cooperation.

He said those lessons are urgently needed as global divisions deepen and multilateralism continues to erode.

Ban, now an emeritus member of The Elders group, said the global environment has significantly deteriorated since he left office in 2016.

He cited rising confrontation among major powers, persistent conflicts and mounting civilian suffering as evidence of a system under strain.

Referring to the war in Ukraine, mass civilian casualties in Gaza and the accelerating climate crisis, Ban told the Council that cooperation has been replaced by rivalry at a time when collective action is most needed.

“This deeply disappointing situation is characterized by confrontation rather than cooperation among major powers,” he told the Council.

He argued that the UN’s broader crisis cannot be separated from the failures of the Security Council itself, singling out the repeated use of the veto by permanent members.

Ban said veto power has too often been deployed to shield permanent members, their allies and proxies from accountability, undermining the Council’s credibility and ability to protect civilians.

“The Security Council’s ongoing failure to properly function constitutes the most egregious cause,” Ban said, adding that vetoes have been used “to shield themselves, their allies and their proxies from accountability.”

Without meaningful reform, he warned, impunity would persist and the UN would risk sliding towards collapse or irrelevance.

Turning to the issue of UN leadership, Ban said the current convention of allowing secretaries-general to serve two five-year terms leaves them overly dependent on the goodwill of permanent members for reappointment.

He stressed that this arrangement is not mandated by the UN Charter and said the General Assembly has the authority to determine the terms of appointment.

A single seven-year term, he argued, would reduce political pressure and allow future secretaries-general to exercise their mandate more independently.

The intervention comes as the selection process for the next UN Secretary-General gathers pace.

Secretary-General António Guterres’ second term is due to end next year, and the formal process was launched in November by the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council, in line with a resolution calling for transparency and inclusivity.

Candidates are required to submit vision statements, curricula vitae and campaign financing disclosures, and to participate in publicly broadcast dialogues with member states.

As of mid-December, Argentina has nominated Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The debate also heard from Anjali Dayal, an associate professor of international politics at Fordham University, who warned that the next UN leader will assume office amid unprecedented strain.

She pointed to a deepening funding crisis that is already reducing the organisation’s capacity to deliver essential services, including vaccinations, humanitarian assistance and mine clearance.

Dayal said history shows that even during periods of intense division, the Security Council has been able to choose leaders who advanced peace through diplomacy rather than force.

That will result not just in shrinking this Organization, but also in less of the work that only the UN can do at scale,” she said, pointing to reduced vaccinations, humanitarian assistance and mine-clearance efforts.

For Ban, however, the responsibility lies squarely with the Council to reform its practices and renew its support for UN leadership.

Without that commitment, he warned, the world risks embracing a path of mutual destruction rather than collective survival.