An under-secretary-general of the United Nations (USG) is a senior official within the United Nations System, normally appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the secretary-general for a renewable term of four years. Under-secretary-general is the third highest rank in the United Nations, after the secretary-general and the deputy secretary-general. The rank is held by the heads of different UN entities, certain high officials of the United Nations Secretariat, and high-level envoys. The United Nations regards the rank as equal to that of a cabinet minister of a member state, and under-secretaries-general have diplomatic immunity under the UN Charter.
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Appointment and accountability
The majority of USGs are appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the secretary-general for a fixed term of four years. Others (normally special envoys, Secretariat-appointees and non-programme management positions) are appointed directly by the UN secretary-general on their own authority. However, all USGs report to the General Assembly through the secretary-general. The only exception to this is the under-secretary-general for internal oversight services, who reports directly to the General Assembly.
The distinction in method of appointment is important as USGs appointed by the General Assembly have a mandate independent of the secretary-general, and therefore is unable to remove them from office without the General Assembly's consent. This restriction has been seen by many commentators to weaken the secretary-general's ability to provide strong leadership and management within the United Nations System.
Equivalent rank
Some senior posts within the UN System have the equivalent rank of under-secretary-general but are either not entitled or choose not to use the formal title. The most prominent example of this is the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, who is often referred to as the third most senior official within the UN System yet does not use the title of under-secretary-general. The UN high commissioner for human rights also has the rank of under-secretary-general, yet does not use the title.
Diplomatic rank
USGs have diplomatic rank equivalent to that of a national cabinet minister. Under Article 105 of the United Nations Charter they have diplomatic immunity.
Senior Management Group (SMG)
With over 50 people with the rank of under-secretary-general, unsurprisingly the influence and power they wield within the UN System varies dramatically. The most important USGs, controlling budgets, programmes or key activities, are also members of the United Nations Senior Management Group, whose objective is to ensure strategic coherence and direction in the work of the organization. The cabinet was approved by the General Assembly in 1997 as part of the reform proposal submitted by Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
List of under-secretaries-general
The following is a list of under-secretaries-general or those with equivalent rank. This list is not exhaustive. Members of the SMG are indicated by an asterisk (*).
Programmes and commissions
Volker Türk * – High Commissioner, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Jorge Moreira da Silva – Executive Director of United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Monica Juma * – Director-General, United Nations Office at Vienna and Chief Executive, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Sima Sami Bahous * – Under-Secretary-General, executive director of UN Women
Winnie Byanyima – Executive Director, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
Doreen Bogdan-Martin – Secretary-General International Telecommunication Union
Chaesub Lee – Director, International Telecommunications Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T)
Rebeca Grynspan * – United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Alexander De Croo * – Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), also Vice-Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group
Claver Gatate * – Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
Olga Algayerova * – United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Rola Dashti * – United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA)
Secretariat officials
Chaloka Beyani * – Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser of the Secretary-General for the Prevention of Genocide (OSAPG)
Rabab Fatima – High Representative for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS
Pramila Patten * – Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert * – Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security
Rosemary DiCarlo * – Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs
Atul Khare – Under-Secretary-General for Department of Operational Support
Izumi Nakamitsu * – Under-Secretary-General, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs
Jean-Pierre Lacroix * – Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations
Alison Smale * – Under-Secretary-General for Public Information
Thomas Fletcher * – Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
Augustine P. Mahiga * – Under-Secretary-General, Mediator-in-Residence, DPA's Mediator Debriefing and Lessons Learned Programme
Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti * – Under-Secretary-General, Chef de Cabinet
Fatoumata Ndiaye * – Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services
Advisers
Chaloka Beyani * – Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide
Philippe Douste-Blazy – Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Innovative Financing for Development
Paul Farmer * – Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for community-based medicine and lessons from Haiti
Bience Gawanas * – Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser on Africa
Kim Won-soo – Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General
Nicolas Michel * – Special Adviser to the Secretary-General and Mediator in the border dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Gabon
George William Okoth-Obbo – Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Responsibility to Protect (since 2021)
Joseph Verner Reed, Jr. – Special Adviser to the Secretary-General
Jeffrey Sachs – Senior Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals (2004–2006), Director of the United Nations Millennium Project
Espen Barth Eide * – Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus (2014–2017)
Vijay Nambiar * – Special Adviser to the Secretary-General (2012–2016)
Wilfried Lemke – Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace (2008–2016)
Special envoys
Gordon Brown * - Special Envoy for Global Education
Ray Chambers * - Special Envoy for Malaria
Michel Kazatchkine * - Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Nicholas Haysom * - Under-Secretary-General, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan and South Sudan
Hanna Tetteh * - Under-Secretary-General, Head of United Nations Office to the African Union
Matthew Nimetz * - Under-Secretary-General, Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Greece-FYROM Talks
Mary Robinson - Special Envoy on Climate Change
Terje Rød-Larsen * - Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559/2004
Jacques Rogge * - Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Youth Refugees and Sport
Christopher Ross * - Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara
Hiroute Guebre Sellassie * - Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Sahel
Noeleen Heyzer - Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Myanmar
Retno Marsudi - Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Water
Other senior UN positions
Deputy secretary-general
The deputy secretary-general is the second highest-ranking official in the UN System after the secretary-general. Amina Mohammed is the current office holder.
Assistant secretary-general
An assistant secretary-general sits beneath an under-secretary-general within the UN hierarchy. Assistant secretaries-general are often deputies within departments or programmes, reporting to their respective under-secretary-general and through him or her to the UN secretary-general.