How is the Secretary-General appointed?

  The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security-Council.  The Secretary-General's selection is therefore subject to the veto of any of the five permanent members  of the Security Council. 

Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the eight Secretary-General of The United Nations, took office on 1 January 2007 and was reappointed by acclamation to serve a second five-year term on 21 June 2011. His predecessors were:

• Kofi A. Annan (Ghana), who held office from January 1997 to December  2006;

• Boutros  Boutros-Ghali (Egypt), who held office from January 1992 to December 1996;

• Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (Peru), who served from  January 1982 to December 1991;

• Kurt Waldheim (Austria), who held office from  January 1972 to  December  1981;

• U Thant (Burma, now Myanmar), who served from November 1961, when he was appointed acting  Secretary-General (he was formally  appointed Secretary-General in  November 1962) to December 1971;

• Dag  Hammarskjöld (Sweden), who served from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in Africa in September 1961;

• Trygve Lie (Norway), who held office from February 1946 to his resingnation in November 1952;

(Dag  Hammarskjöld)

                                                                    (Kofi A. Annan)

                                                                         (U Thant)

                                                                (Boutros  Boutros-Ghali)

                                                                   (Kurt Waldheim)

                                                               (Javier Pérez de Cuéllar)

                                                                        (Trygve Lie)