Security Council Report Podcast

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR’s Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Senior Policy Analyst Sara Bertotti to discuss recent developments in the UN Secretary-General selection and appointment process following the second Security Council straw poll, which was held on 21 August. This episode examines what the voting pattern reveals about the state of the process, and what the coming weeks could mean for the search for the next Secretary-General.

• SCR’s 2026 Research Report: Power, Process and Participation: The Search for the Next Secretary-General 
• SCR’s 2017 Research Report: The UN Secretary-General Selection and Appointment Process: Emerging from the Shadows 
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Episode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar 

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR's Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Managing Editor Paul Romita to discuss SCR's August 2026 In Hindsight: The Security Council in 2026: Mid-Year Scorecard and Looking Ahead. 

The conversation examines the Security Council's performance in the first half of 2026, a period marked by deep divisions among members amid a rapidly deteriorating international peace and security environment. It explores trends in the Council's work, including a decline in meetings and outcomes, continued difficulties in achieving consensus, and the impact of geopolitical tensions on the Council's ability to respond to major crises. The discussion also considers significant developments related to UN peace operations, the selection of the next Secretary-General, and ongoing delays in the allocation of subsidiary body chairs. It reflects on what these dynamics reveal about the Council's effectiveness and adaptability, and assesses the challenges and key decisions that lie ahead in the second half of the year.

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Episode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR’s Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Senior Policy Analyst Sara Bertotti to discuss recent developments in the UN Secretary-General selection and appointment process following the first Security Council straw poll. 

This episode reviews the results of the 30 July straw poll, including the relatively high number of “no opinion expressed” votes, and discusses Council responses to a last-minute nomination before the informal vote took place. It also examines the balance between the roles of the Security Council and the General Assembly, and whether the straw poll results should be made public.  

• SCR's 29 July What’s in Blue story: First Security Council Straw Poll on UN Secretary-General Candidates  
• SCR's 2026 Research Report: Power, Process and Participation: The Search for the Next Secretary-General 
• SCR's 2017 Research Report: The UN Secretary-General Selection and Appointment Process: Emerging from the Shadows 
• For more information, please see our website 

Explore ways of supporting our work here 

Follow us: @SCRtweets

Subscribe here for updates 

Episode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar 

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR's Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with SCR’s Deputy Managing Editor for What’s in Blue, Alina Entelis, to discuss her latest In Hindsight article: A Second Year of Delays in the Allocation of Subsidiary Body Chairs.  

More than seven months into 2026, Council members have been unable to reach agreement on the allocation of subsidiary body chairs and vice-chairs, making it the longest period with no subsidiary body chairs and vice-chairs since this decision was first recorded in a presidential note in 1979. This episode explores the reasons for the current impasse, discusses the prolonged delay’s ramifications on the Council’s work, and proposes potential modifications to the subsidiary body allocation process.  

SCR's July In Hindsight: A Second Year of Delays in the Allocation of Subsidiary Body Chairs 

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Produced by Vladimir Sesar

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR's Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Managing Editor Paul Romita and Deputy Manging Editor Dawit Yirga to discuss SCR's latest research report: The Security Council and the Power of the Pen. 

The conversation explores how the penholder system shapes the Security Council’s drafting process and response to crises, and why it has become a focal point of concern for many member states. It examines growing dissatisfaction among elected members with the concentration of drafting authority in the hands of a few permanent members, and discusses how the E10 have sought to expand their role through co-penholdership and calls for more equitable burden-sharing. It also reflects on what these evolving dynamics mean for the Council’s effectiveness, transparency, and legitimacy, and considers possible avenues for reform.

• SCR research report: The Security Council and the Power of the Pen 
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Episode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR’s Executive Director Shamala Kandiah and Senior Policy Analyst Sara Bertotti sit down to discuss some of the highlights of their recently issued research report Power, Process and Participation: The Search for the Next Secretary-General. 

The report offers an analytically grounded overview of the rules, procedures, and informal practices shaping how the next UN Secretary-General will be selected and appointed. It draws lessons from the 2015/2016 process, examines dynamics and recent developments, and highlights potential challenges that may emerge while also providing options to address them.

The discussion reviews the main steps of the process as well as some of the upcoming key decisions that the Council is expected to make this month, including regarding the modalities of the Council’s meetings with the candidates and of the straw polls. 

• SCR's May In Hindsight: The Search for the Next Secretary-General 
• SCR's 2026 Research Report: Power, Process and Participation: The Search for the Next Secretary-General
• SCR's 2017 Research Report: The UN Secretary-General Selection and Appointment Process: Emerging from the Shadows
• For more information, please see our website

Explore ways of supporting our work here 

Follow us: @SCRtweets

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Episode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR's Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Managing Editor Paul Romita to discuss SCR’s latest In Hindsight article: The Security Council in 2025 and the Year Ahead. The conversation explores how deep divisions among Council members shaped responses to major crises. They talk about what statistics reveal about the Council dynamics in 2025 and what could be some of the key challenges ahead in 2026. 

• SCR's January 2026 In Hindsight: The Security Council in 2025 and the Year Ahead
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  Episode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR's Policy Analyst Sara Bertotti sits down with Shamala Kandiah, SCR’s Executive Director, to discuss her latest In Hindsight article: The Search for the Next UN Secretary-General Begins. Drawing on SCR’s coverage of the 2015/2016 selection and appointment process, the discussion reviews the main steps of the process while also touching upon the negotiation of the joint letter issued by the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council on 25 November. The joint letter invited member states to present their candidates for the position, officially starting the process.

• SCR's December In Hindsight: The Search for the Next UN Secretary-General Begins
• SCR's 25 November What’s in Blue story: Appointment of the Next UN Secretary-General: Joint Letter from the Presidents of the Security Council and the General Assembly
• SCR's 2017 Research Report: The UN Secretary-General Selection and Appointment Process: Emerging from the Shadows
• For more info, please see our website

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Episode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar

In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR's Executive Director Shamala Kandiah sits down with Dawit Yirga, SCR's Deputy Managing Editor, to discuss the key findings from SCR's latest research report on the African members of the Security Council.   

• Research Report - From the Margins to the Center: The Rise of the A3 in the UN Security Council
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In this episode of Interactive Dialogues, SCR’s Executive Director, Shamala Kandiah, sits down with Colin Keating, the organisation’s founding Executive Director, for a candid conversation about SCR’s beginnings, its founding vision, and the events that shaped its creation.

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Episode produced and edited by Vladimir Sesar.