An under-secretary-general of the United Nations (USG) is a senior official within the

United Nations System The United Nations System consists of the United Nations' six principal organs (the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the UN Secretariat) ...

, normally appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the

secretary-general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

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 The United Nations Secretariat (french: link=no, Secrétariat des Nations unies) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), The secretariat is the UN's executive arm. The secretariat has an important role in setting the a ...

, 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 Diplomatic immunity is a principle of international law by which certain foreign government officials are recognized as having legal immunity from the jurisdiction of another country.

under the

UN Charter The Charter of the United Nations (UN) is the foundational treaty of the UN, an intergovernmental organization. It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the UN system, including its six principal organs: th ...

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 The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) 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- ...

on his 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 he is therefore 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

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 The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

, 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 The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nati ...

also has the rank of under-secretary-general, yet does not use the title.

Diplomatic rank

USGs have

diplomatic rank Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

equivalent to that of a national cabinet minister. Under Article 105 of the

United Nations Charter The Charter of the United Nations (UN) is the foundational treaty of the UN, an intergovernmental organization. It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the UN system, including its six principal organs: the ...

they have

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 Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founde ...

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) *

Grete Faremo Grete Faremo (born 16 June 1955) is a Norwegian politician, lawyer and business leader. From August 2014 to May 2022, she held the post of Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). ...

– Executive Director of United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) *

Ghada Waly Ghada Fathi Waly (born 1965) is an Egyptian politician who has been serving as the Director-General/ Executive Director of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV)/ United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) since 2020, following her appo ...

* – Director-General,

United Nations Office at Vienna The United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) is one of the four major office sites of the United Nations where numerous different UN agencies have a joint presence. The office complex is located in Vienna, the capital of Austria, and is part of the ...

and Chief Executive,

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC; French: ''Office des Nations unies contre la drogue et le crime'') is a United Nations office that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the ...

(UNODC) *

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (; born 3 November 1955), South African Government Information. is a South African politician and former United Nations official, who served as the Executive Director of UN Women with the rank of Under-Secretary-General ...

* – Under-Secretary-General, executive director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) * Winnie Byanyima – Executive Director,

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) (, ONUSIDA) is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV/ AIDS pandemic. The mission of UNAIDS is to lead, strengthen and support an ...

(UNAIDS) * Houlin Zhao – Secretary-General

International Telecommunication Union The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Unio ...

Chaesub Lee Chaesub Lee PhD ( Korean: 이재섭) is the Director of ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, the permanent secretariat of the International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and as such, an Under-Sec ...

– Director

ITU-T The ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) is one of the three sectors (divisions or units) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It is responsible for coordinating standards for telecommunications and Information Comm ...

* Mukhisa Kituyi * –

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...

(UNCTAD) *

Tegegnework Gettu Tegegnework Gettu is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) replacing María Eugenia Casar. He previously held the post of Under-Secretary-General for General Assem ...

– Associate Administrator,

(UNDP) *

Achim Steiner Achim Steiner (born 17 May 1961) is a Brazilian-born environmentalist who currently serves as the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and chairman of United Nations Sustainable Development Group. Before joining UNDP, he w ...

* – Administrator,

(UNDP), also chair of the United Nations Development Group *

Vera Songwe Vera Songwe is an economist and banking executive from Cameroon who has worked for the World Bank since 1998, and in 2015 became Western and Central Africa's regional director for the International Finance Corporation. She is the first woman to ...

* – Executive Secretary,

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA or ECA; french: link=no, Commission économique pour l'Afrique, CEA) was established in 1958 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to encourage economic cooperation among its ...

(UNECA) * Olga Algayerova * –

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE or UNECE) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It was established in order to promote economic cooperation and i ...

(UNECE) *

José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

* – United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC) * Rima Khalaf * – United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) * Armida Alisjahbana * –

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It was established in order to increase economic ...

(UNESCAP) *

Natalia Kanem Natalia Kanem is a medical doctor who currently serves as the Executive Director of United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. In this capacity, she is among the highest-ranking women at the ...

* – Executive Director,

United Nations Population Fund The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies a ...

(UNFPA) * Inger Andersen * – Executive Director,

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...

(UNEP) * Maimunah Mohd Sharif * – Executive Director,

United Nations Human Settlements Programme The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the United Nations programme for human settlements and sustainable urban development. It was established in 1977 as an outcome of the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlem ...

(UN-HABITAT) *

Filippo Grandi Filippo Grandi (born March 30, 1957) is an Italian diplomat and United Nations official, currently serving as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He previously served as Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agen ...

* –

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...

(UNHCR) * Henrietta H. Fore * – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) * David M. Malone * – Rector,

United Nations University The (UNU) is the think tank and academic arm of the United Nations. Headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, with diplomatic status as a UN institution, its mission is to help resolve global issues related to human development and welfare thr ...

(UNU) *

David Beasley David Muldrow Beasley (born February 26, 1957) is an American politician and the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme. A member of the Republican Party, he served one term as the 113th Governor of South Carolina from 199 ...

* – Executive Director,

World Food Programme The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен� ...

(WFP)

Secretariat officials

* Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu – High Representative for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS *

Pramila Patten Pramila Patten (; born 29 June 1958) is a Mauritian barrister, women's rights activist, and United Nations official, who currently serves as the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Under-Secretary-General of ...

* – Under-Secretary-General and

Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

* Peter Thomas Drennan * – Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security * Rosemary DiCarlo * – Under-Secretary-General for

Political Affairs ''Political Affairs Magazine'' was a monthly Marxist publication, originally published in print and later online only. It aimed to provide an analysis of events from a working class point of view. The magazine was a publication of the Communist P ...

* 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 Alison Smale is a British journalist. From 2017 until 2019, she served as the Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, United Nations Department of Public Information. Appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on ...

* – Under-Secretary-General for

Public Information Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

* Martin Griffiths * – 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 Maria Luiza Viotti (born on in Belo Horizonte, Brazil) is the Chef de Cabinet to UN Secretary General António Guterres. Viotti was the Ambassador of Brazil to Germany from 2013 until 2016, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nation ...

* – Under-Secretary-General, Chef de Cabinet * Heidi Mendoza * – Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services * Tatiana Valovaya * – Director-General of the

United Nations Office at Geneva The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG, french: Office des Nations Unies à Genève) in Geneva, Switzerland, is one of the four major offices of the United Nations where numerous different UN agencies have a joint presence. The main UNO ...

* Catherine Pollard * – Under-Secretary-General Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance * Movses Abelian * – Under-Secretary-General Department for General Assembly and Conference Management * Melissa Fleming * – Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications *

Carlos Gabriel Ruiz Massieu Aguirre Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewher ...

– Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions * Miguel de Serpa Soares * – Under-Secretary-General and

Legal Counsel A lawyer is a person who Practice of law, practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different Jurisdiction, legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney at law, attorney, barrister, canonist, canon l ...

* Liu Zhenmin * – Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs *

Leila Zerrougui Leila Zerrougui (born 1956) is an Algerian legal expert on human rights and administration of justice. She has served as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic ...

br>– Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict
* Zainab Hawa Bangura – Director-General of the

United Nations Office at Nairobi United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON, sw, Ofisi ya Umoja wa Mataifa Nairobi) in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, is one of four major United Nations office sites where numerous different UN agencies have a joint presence. Established in 1996, ...

Advisers

* Bience Gawanas* – Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser on Africa * Adama Dieng* – Under-Secretary-General Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide *

Philippe Douste-Blazy Philippe Douste-Blazy (; born 1 January 1953) is a French United Nations official and former centre-right politician. Over the course of his career, he served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Special Adviser on Innovative Financi ...

– 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 * 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 * Iqbal Riza* – Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General *

Jeffrey Sachs Jeffrey David Sachs () (born 5 November 1954) is an American economist, academic, public policy analyst, and former director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, where he holds the title of University Professor. He is known for his work ...

– Senior Adviser to the Secretary-General on the

Millennium Development Goals The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millenn ...

(2004–2006), Director of the United Nations Millennium Project *

Espen Barth Eide Espen Barth Eide (born 1 May 1964, in Oslo) is a Norwegian politician and political scientist. He is currently serving as the Minister of Climate and the Environment in Jonas Gahr Støre's government. He has been a been a member of the Norwegian ...

* 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 James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...

* - 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 Nicholas Roland Leybourne "Fink" Haysom (born 21 April 1952) is a South African lawyer and diplomat who focuses on democratic governance, constitutional and electoral reforms and the reconciliation and peace process. Since 2021, he has been serv ...

* - 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 Matthew Nimetz (; born June 17, 1939) is an American diplomat and a former lawyer and retired managing director of a global private equity firm. He was the United Nations Special Representative for the naming dispute between Greece and the fo ...

* - Under-Secretary-General, Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Greece-FYROM Talks * J.V. Prasada Rao* - Special Envoy for AIDS in Asia & Pacific *

Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson ( ga, Máire Mhic Róibín; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who was the 7th president of Ireland, serving from December 1990 to September 1997, the first woman to hold this office. Prior to her electi ...

- 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 Jacques Jean Marie Rogge, Count Rogge (, ; 2 May 1942 – 29 August 2021) was a Belgian sports administrator and physician who served as the eighth President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001 to 2013. In 2013, Rogge bec ...

* - 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 Hiroute Guebre Sellassie (born 1952) is an Ethiopian diplomat and human rights lawyer. She has held several senior portfolios in the United Nations, most recently serving as the Deputy Special Representative (DSRSG) for the Office for West Afri ...

* - Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Sahel * Mirko Manzoni - Under-Secretary-General, Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Mozambique *

Noeleen Heyzer Noeleen Heyzer (born 26 April 1948) is a Singaporean social scientist, diplomat, and United Nations official. She is the current United Nations Special Envoy on Myanmar, an office to which she was appointed by Secretary-General of the United Na ...

- Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Myanmar

Other very senior UN positions

Deputy secretary-general

The deputy secretary-general is the second highest-ranking official in the

UN System The United Nations System consists of the United Nations' six principal organs (the United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly, United Nations Security Council, Security Council, United Nations Economic and Social Council, Economic and S ...

after the secretary-general.

Amina Mohammed Amina Jane Mohammed (born 27 June 1961) is a Nigerian-British diplomat and politician who is serving as the fifth Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, she was Nigerian Minister of Environment from 2015 to 2016 and was ...

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

References

External links

UN Protocol and Liaison Service – List of Senior UN OfficialsSpecial Representatives and Envoys of the Secretary-GeneralList of UN Senior Management Group with biographies and photos
{{United Nations, state=expanded United Nations Secretariat United Nations posts *