Key facts
- The UN is seeking a successor to incumbent Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
- The next secretary-general is expected to come from Latin America and potentially be a woman.
- The UN faces a liquidity crisis due to worsening financial pressures and unpaid contributions.
- The UN Security Council has been unable to halt conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine.
- Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana leads current straw polls for the position.
- The appointment of the next UN secretary-general will occur before January 1.
The United Nations is in the process of selecting its next secretary-general, a role often described as 'the most impossible job on earth,' with the successor to Antonio Guterres expected to take office on January 1. The selection process, which began in late November 2025, involves nominations and informal straw polls conducted by the 15-member Security Council, whose recommendation is then ratified by the 193-member General Assembly. A key hurdle is securing the support of at least nine Security Council members, crucially without a veto from any of the five permanent members: the US, UK, France, Russia, and China.
There is an informal expectation that the next leader will hail from Latin America, a region that has not held the post since Peru's Javier Perez de Cuellar left office in 1992. Additionally, there is a long-standing push for the UN to appoint its first female secretary-general in its 80-year history.
The organization faces significant challenges, including a liquidity crisis exacerbated by worsening financial pressures and unpaid member state contributions. Washington, the UN's largest financial contributor, has reduced voluntary funding and withdrawn from the World Health Organization. The UN Security Council has also been criticized for its inability to prevent or halt genocides in Gaza and Sudan, or Russia's war on Ukraine.
Candidates are presenting platforms that address common issues such as the need for a more proactive UN in crisis prevention, organizational streamlining, reducing overlapping functions, assisting smaller nations with debt burdens, and adapting to the impact of AI and new technologies. Discussions and lobbying are ongoing ahead of the UN General Assembly session later this month.
Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana, the current favorite, leads the straw polls with eight 'encourage' votes. Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, who led the first poll, has since slipped in the rankings. Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is also a candidate, emphasizing pragmatic multilateralism and direct diplomacy.