Who will be the next UN Secretary-General?

WHO IS THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL?

The leader of the United Nations and its de facto spokesperson. The Secretary-General leads the United Nations Secretariat and serves at least one five-year term. Incumbent Ban Ki-moon is retiring on December 31.

APPOINTMENT PROCESS

Member states of the UN are invited to submit nominations to the General Assembly and the Security Council.

A candidate is selected by the Security Council which then recommends that person's appointment to the General Assembly.

The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly.

If there are a number of candidates, the Security Council chooses the contender via ballot.

Any of the five core members of the Security Council - China, France, Russia, the UK, and the United States - can veto the nomination.

IN THE RUNNING

Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark

Former UN General Assembly president and Macedonian foreign minister Srghan Kerim.

Former Croatian vice-president Vesna Pusic

Montenegro's Foreign Minister Igor Luksic

Former Slovenian president Danuilo Turk

Director-General of UNESCO and former Bulgarian deputy PM Irina Bokova

Former Moldovan foreign minister Natalia Gherman

Former Portugese prime minister Antonio Guterres

FORMER UN SECRETARY-GENERALS

Ban Ki-moon, Korea (2007- 2016)

Kofi Annan, Ghana (1997-2006)

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egypt(1992-1996)

Javier Perez de Cuellar, Peru (1982-1991)

Kurt Waldheim, Austria (1972-1981)

U Thant, Myanmar (1961-1971)

Dag Hammarskjold, Sweden (1953-1961)