Regional Governance Architecture FES Briefing Paper February 2006 Page 1 Setting a Democratic Example: The challenge of selecting Kofi Annan’s successor c^vb=iblkb=^ka=ibkb=p`erj^`ebo= = Summary: Arguably one of the most important elections in the world, the se­lection process for the UN Secretary-General should reflect the highest princi­ples of governance, accountability, and professionalism. While reform of selec­tion procedures is an ongoing process, each of these principles could be better applied now, in order to set the democratic example that will make all areas of UN work more effective. The selection procedures in practice today are based on a combination of written rules and practice that have developed through precedent and tradition. The procedures allow the five permanent members of the Security Council to dominate the selection. This is preventing the office of Secretary-General from evolving with the needs of the organization and today’s challenges for the post. Much is at stake, as tension between large donor countries and the majority poor countries has become an obstacle to effective UN work and overall reform efforts.= =