The eight candidates vying to be the next secretary-general of the UN will for the first time pitch for the job in public, in a process that promises greater transparency but which will come down to an accord between the US and Russia.

In an effort to shift the selection process away from backroom dealmaking, the candidates are detailing their case to the UN General Assembly in a 10-minute presentation followed by two-hour question-and-answer sessions between yesterday and tomorrow.

For the first time in the UN’s 70-year history, the eight people who have so far declared their candidacy — including Helen Clark, former New Zealand prime minister, and Irina Bokova, former Bulgarian foreign minister — will also take part in public events designed to create a broader debate about their views. In another first, a public list of declared candidates will be made.