The United Nations is heading toward a major transition this fall. The Security Council is currently preparing to elect a new secretary-general. This high-stakes contest comes at a time when the organization is fighting for its own relevancy while navigating a difficult economic crisis. It’s the first time in 10 years that the U.N. will see a change of the guard, moving on from the tenure of Portugal’s António Guterres.
According to The Hill, Richard Gowan, the program director of Global Issues and Institutions for the International Crisis Group, claimed, “This is actually quite an existentially significant process for the U.N.” He noted, “If we get a good U.N. leader, they will still be facing an uphill battle to deal with all the financial, political problems. But maybe they can at least stabilize the organization. If we get a weak leader, then that’s going to make the U.N.’s drift worse.”
Gowan also described the secretary-general role as an “insane job.” Per The Hill, he explained that the position requires someone to act as the world’s top mediator, a manager of a massive, multibillion-dollar organization, and a moral voice on human rights, all while balancing complex conflicts and global developmental challenges. “In a weird sense, there’s no way to do this job well. You can just try and do it less badly,” Gowan said.
Differing priorities
The election process is reportedly heavily influenced by the five permanent, veto-wielding members of the Security Council: the U.S., China, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom. These nations hold the power to reject any candidate they find unsuitable. There is an informal tradition of rotating the secretary-general’s home region, with a consensus that the next leader should come from Latin America. However, the final decision rests with these members.
According to Reuters, there are seven candidates currently in the running for the five-year term, which begins on January 1, 2027. Among them is Rafael Grossi, a 65-year-old career diplomat from Argentina who has served as the director general of the U.N. nuclear watchdog for the past six years.
Per the outlet, Grossi gained recognition for his shuttle diplomacy, including his efforts to station an IAEA team at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Many diplomats consider him a front-runner due to his experience navigating the interests of the Security Council’s permanent members.
Another notable candidate is Rebeca Grynspan, the 70-year-old former vice president of Costa Rica. Per Reuters, Grynspan currently heads the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development and has positioned herself as a reform-minded multilateralist. She would be the first woman to hold the role if elected. However, per The Hill, she faces scrutiny regarding her past reports on Israel’s policies toward Palestinians.
Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, 74, is also in the race, though her candidacy has faced significant hurdles. The Hill reported that Washington’s U.N. envoy, Mike Waltz, has expressed strong opposition to her, and stated that he agreed with a group of Republican lawmakers that have urged the US to veto Bachelet’s candidacy.
Per Reuters, other candidates include 64-year-old former Senegalese President Macky Sall and 61-year-old María Fernanda Espinosa. The former advocated for an overhaul of the Security Council to allow for more representation from developing nations. Espinosa, on the other hand, is a former foreign minister of Ecuador who has inside knowledge of the organization from her time as president of the General Assembly.
Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu round out the list. Both of these candidates emphasize institutional reform and conflict prevention.
The U.S. is currently pushing for a candidate who is “practical, driven and reform-focused.” One who will focus on cutting redundant agencies and addressing concerns about anti-Israel bias. For instance, in the past, the current Secretary General, Guterres, described the current Iran war as war crimes. A State Department spokesperson told The Hill that the U.S. wants a leader who will prioritize “real results, modernization, and the elimination of waste, fraud, and abuse.”
This focus on reform is a rare area of agreement between the U.S. and China. China too appears to be looking at ways to streamline the organization’s bureaucracy. President Trump had previously characterized the organization as woke, even slashing for multiple departments as a result.
The Security Council is currently moving through a series of straw polls to gauge support for these candidates. A second straw poll is expected to take place on Friday. While the goal is to finalize the selection in October, disagreements among the veto-wielding members could delay the process until December.
As Gowan pointed out, the last election was relatively straightforward, but there is genuine concern that this time around, the path to a new leader could be much more complicated.
Published: Aug 18, 2026 07:10 am