Eight Candidates in Race for UN Secretary-General, Women Candidates Also Strong Contenders

NEW YORK: The second and final five-year term of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will end on December 31, 2026, after which a new head of the world body will be selected. The new secretary-general will begin a five-year term on January 1, 2027.

According to Reuters, eight candidates are currently in the race for the post of UN secretary-general. In the second informal consultation held on August 21, Guyana’s Caroline Rodrigues-Birkett emerged with a narrow lead. However, the race remains highly competitive, and the final selection will require further consultations and approval through the UN Security Council and General Assembly.

The candidates include Argentine diplomat and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi; former Costa Rican Vice President and UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan; former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet; former Senegalese President Macky Sall; former Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa; Guyana’s UN Ambassador Caroline Rodrigues-Birkett; former UN Under-Secretary-General Olara Otunnu of Uganda; and Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne Baki.

Rafael Grossi

Sixty-five-year-old Rafael Grossi is an Argentine career diplomat who has served as Director General of the IAEA for the past six years. He has played a prominent role in international diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear programme and efforts to preserve diplomatic engagement over the issue.

Grossi has been involved in diplomatic efforts concerning Iran’s nuclear dispute with world powers. He also played a role in maintaining an IAEA monitoring presence at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

Several diplomats regard Grossi as a strong contender, particularly because of his extensive experience dealing with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. However, Russia has expressed reservations about his candidacy.

Rebeca Grynspan

Seventy-year-old Rebeca Grynspan is a former vice president of Costa Rica and currently heads UNCTAD. She has advocated strengthening multilateralism and reforming the United Nations.

Grynspan has argued that the UN needs to become more effective, faster and more flexible in order to respond more efficiently to global crises.

If elected, she would become the first woman to serve as UN secretary-general. Gender equality and greater representation of women in decision-making have also been prominent themes of her campaign.

Michelle Bachelet

Seventy-four-year-old Michelle Bachelet has served twice as president of Chile and was UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022.

She also served as Executive Director of UN Women from 2010 to 2013. Her extensive political and international experience has placed her among the prominent candidates for the top UN post.

Bachelet previously received backing from Brazil and Mexico, but Chile withdrew its support in March following a shift in the country’s political direction. She has also faced criticism from conservative circles in the United States.

Macky Sall

Sixty-four-year-old Macky Sall, a geologist and former president of Senegal, led the country from 2012 to 2024.

Sall has advocated addressing the debt problems of developing countries and reforming the UN Security Council. He has also called for greater permanent representation of developing countries on the Security Council.

His candidacy has been put forward by Burundi. If elected, Sall would become the third African to serve as UN secretary-general, following Egypt’s Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Ghana’s Kofi Annan.

Maria Fernanda Espinosa

Sixty-one-year-old Maria Fernanda Espinosa is a former foreign and defence minister of Ecuador. Her candidacy has been endorsed by Antigua and Barbuda.

Espinosa has served as Ecuador’s ambassador to the United Nations and as president of the UN General Assembly, giving her extensive experience of the organisation’s diplomatic and administrative affairs.

She has worked on issues including climate change, biodiversity and the rights of indigenous peoples. She has argued that the UN needs to set clearer priorities, ensure effective implementation of decisions and play a more active political role globally.

Caroline Rodrigues-Birkett

Guyana’s Caroline Rodrigues-Birkett is a career diplomat and former politician who has served as Guyana’s permanent representative to the United Nations since 2020.

She was Guyana’s first female foreign minister and is regarded as one of the country’s prominent political figures of Indigenous background to have held a senior government position.

Her campaign focuses on conflict prevention, improving the effectiveness of the United Nations and advancing global action against climate change.

In the second informal consultation on August 21, Rodrigues-Birkett emerged with a narrow lead. However, the process is part of confidential diplomatic consultations and does not constitute a final vote.

Olara Otunnu

Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu is a former UN under-secretary-general, and his candidacy has been put forward by Uganda.

At 75, Otunnu is the oldest candidate in the current race. He has called for restoring the UN’s credibility and global confidence in the organisation while advocating fundamental institutional reforms.

Otunnu argues that the United Nations needs major reforms to address bureaucracy and ineffective governance, warning that failure to do so could undermine the organisation’s performance and credibility.

Ivonne Baki

Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne Baki entered the secretary-general race in August after being nominated by Tonga. She has served as Ecuador’s ambassador in several countries and held a number of government positions.

The 75-year-old Baki lived in Lebanon during the country’s civil war from 1975 to 1990. She has linked that experience to her campaign priorities of conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

Baki has said the United Nations should not seek to address global crises solely from its headquarters in New York but should have a direct presence in areas affected by conflict and tensions to work toward peace.

Selection Process

The selection of the UN secretary-general is a complex diplomatic process involving several stages. Candidates present their priorities and vision to member states, followed by informal consultations and assessments within the Security Council.

Securing the support of the Security Council is crucial because any of the five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — can block a candidate through a veto.

Once the Security Council recommends a candidate, the nomination is forwarded to the General Assembly, where member states approve the appointment of the new secretary-general.

Antonio Guterres’ term will end on December 31, 2026, and the new secretary-general is scheduled to take office on January 1, 2027.

The possibility of electing a woman as the first female UN secretary-general has added particular significance to the current race, as no woman has held the position in the organisation’s 80-year history. However, the final outcome will depend heavily on diplomatic consensus among the major powers, particularly the permanent members of the Security Council.