The Secretary-General This Moment Demands

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This policy brief is written as the four candidates for the next Secretary-General of the United Nations are due to present this week. It presents eight recommendations for the person who will take up the office at a moment when the foundations of international order are under strain. Major powers increasingly act outside agreed frameworks. The prohibition on the use of force is under pressure. Trust in multilateral institutions has eroded among governments and publics alike. The question is no longer whether the system can be improved. It is whether it can still function as intended under current conditions.