Style Excellency | ||
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Seat UN HeadquartersNew York City, USA Appointer The Secretary-GeneralThe Secretary-General appoints the Deputy Secretary-General following consultationswith Member States and in accordance with Article 101 of the Charter of the United Nations. Term length See belowThe term of office of the Deputy Secretary-General cannot not exceed that of the Secretary-General. Constituting instrument General Assembly Resolution 52/12 B | ||
The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations is the deputy to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The office was created to handle many of the administrative responsibilities of the Secretary-General, help manage Secretariat operations, and ensure coherence of activities and programmes. The post was formally established by the General Assembly at the end of 1997.
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Amina J. Mohammed of Nigeria was named Deputy Secretary-General by then Secretary-General-designate António Guterres. Mohammed assumed the office the same day as Guterres' first term, on 1 January 2017.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities generally delegated by the Secretary-General to the Deputy Secretary-General include:
(a) To assist the Secretary-General in managing the operations of the Secretariat;(b) To act for the Secretary-General at United Nations Headquarters in the absence of the Secretary-General and in other cases as may be decided by the Secretary-General;(c) To support the Secretary-General in ensuring inter-sectoral and inter-institutional coherence of activities and programmes and to support the Secretary-General in elevating the profile and leadership of the United Nations in the economic and social spheres, including further efforts to strengthen the United Nations as a leading centre for development policy and development assistance;(d) To represent the Secretary-General at conferences, official functions and ceremonial and other occasions as may be decided by the Secretary-General;(e) To undertake such assignments as may be determined by the Secretary-General;The Director in the Office of the Deputy Secretary-General is a sitting observer of the United Nations Development Group.
History
Canadian Louise Fréchette was the first Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, holding the position from 1998 to 2005. She was appointed to the post by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and assumed her duties on March 2, 1998. In 2005, partly in response to criticism by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker for failed management of the Iraq Oil-for-Food Programme, Frechette announced her resignation. She remained at her post until March 31, 2006.
On March 3, 2006 it was announced that Mark Malloch Brown from the United Kingdom would succeed Louise Fréchette as Deputy Secretary-General on April 1, 2006. Brown left his post concurrent with Kofi Annan's departure as Secretary-General on December 31, 2006.