Race for UN's top job begins: Meet the candidates vying to succeed António Guterres

What the report says

The Economic Times, citing Reuters inputs, reported that the contest to choose the next United Nations secretary-general is underway, with seven candidates formally seeking to replace António Guterres. The winner is due to take office on January 1, 2027, after Guterres completes his second five-year term. Under the UN process, the Security Council recommends a candidate, who must then be approved by the General Assembly.

The article identifies Rafael Grossi of Argentina and Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica as early leading contenders. Grossi, 65, heads the International Atomic Energy Agency and has been involved in diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear program and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Grynspan, 70, leads UNCTAD, has served as Costa Rica’s vice president, and would be the first woman to hold the UN’s top post if selected.

Other candidates include former Chilean president and ex-UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet; former Senegalese president Macky Sall; Ecuador’s former foreign and defence minister María Fernanda Espinosa; Guyana’s UN ambassador Carolyn Allison Farida Rodrigues Birkett; and Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu, a former UN under-secretary-general. Their platforms include institutional reform, stronger representation for developing countries, climate action, conflict prevention and governance of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The selection matters because the next secretary-general will inherit a UN facing wars, geopolitical rivalry, pressure for Security Council reform and questions about the organization’s effectiveness. The coming months are expected to involve significant diplomacy among member states, especially the five permanent Security Council powers.