Mr President,
Distinguished members of the council,

We thank Slovenia for organizing this Open Debate. We are grateful to His Excellency, the former Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and social Professor Anjali Dayal for their insightful briefings.

Germany aligns itself with the statement to be held by the EU.

The title for this Open Debate is an excellent choice: “Leadership for Peace” is the most concise job description for the position of Secretary General of the United Nations.

We, as UN Member States, have to define our expectations regarding the next Secretary General. We need to listen to civil society. We support the President of the General Assembly in guiding us through this process and in ensuring that the entire membership of the United Nations has a say. Because we are selecting the Secretary General for all of us.

The United Nations Charter, the revitalization resolution and the joint letter give us thoughtful guidance and leave room for more.

I would like to highlight three points:

First, convictions matter: The next SG has to stand for peace, development and human rights. We need an adamant reformer who will continue and complete the reforms initiated by the UN80 initiative and who will follow up on the 56 actions of the Pact for the Future the UN Membership agreed on. Someone who is committed to modernize the UN jointly with Member States.

Second, skills matter. Mediation and negotiation skills that can be employed to end even the most violent and long-running conflicts are obvious prerequisites. We are looking for an outstanding fundraiser, communicator and chief administrator.

Third, process matters: transparency and inclusivity remain important. We look forward to timely open hearings, ensuring that Member States, civil society and the public have opportunities to participate. 2016 showed that these dialogues can be a game changer – for the better.

We all agreed in the Pact of the Future: It is regrettable that there has never been a woman Secretary General. Together, we can change this. And this is no contradiction to a merit-based process. We reinforce the encouragement to consider nominating women as candidates.

In conclusion: Germany will stay committed in this process. We stand ready to support for leadership for peace and assume responsibility, as a candidate for the Security Council 2027/2028. We are building on our leadership role in peacebuilding as current chair of the Peacebuilding Commission and as main supporter for the Peacebuilding Architecture Review.

Thank you!