The 10th Secretary-General of the United Nations will be chosen this year for a five-year term beginning January 1, 2027.
Here are the candidates so far in the running to succeed outgoing UN chief Antonio Guterres.
Rafael Grossi
Grossi, a 65-year-old career diplomat from Argentina, has been a top director-general of the U.N. nuclear watchdog for six years.
While the International Atomic Energy Agency has long monitored Iran’s nuclear program, Grossi led negotiations aimed at saving parts of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with major powers after President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of it in 2018. His critics say he went too far in trying to strike deals with Iran.
A multilingual father of eight, Grossi raised his profile and that of the IAEA through his shuttle diplomacy in international crises.
Its most obvious success was stationing a small IAEA team at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
Many diplomats view him as the favorite after spending years trying to hold on to the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, whose support is crucial to filling the top job.
Rebecca Grynspan
Grynspan, 70, presents herself as a reform-minded multilateralist who fought against gender barriers and always believed in the UN and its commitment to peace, development and human rights.
A former vice president of Costa Rica who heads the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Grynspan said she gave up her duties until September to avoid conflicts of interest during the campaign.
If elected, Grynspan would be the first woman to serve as general secretary. She said that although she had to compromise between family life and public service at UNCTAD, being the first woman to lead there shaped her leadership.
“I don’t expect special treatment. I want equal treatment,” she told Reuters.
An economist, Grynspan describes herself as a “mature leader” who would lead a more agile UN through collaboration with other actors while upholding its core values.
Michelle Bachelet
Bachelet, 74, is a two-time president of Chile and a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who also served from 2010 to 2013 as executive director of the women’s rights agency UN Women.
Although supported by Brazil and Mexico, Chile withdrew its support for Bachelet in March after a shift to the right.
Bachelet has been criticized by U.S. conservatives for her pro-choice stance on abortion, and in April Washington’s U.N. envoy, Mike Waltz, appeared to torpedo her candidacy by saying he shared a U.S. senator’s concerns about her suitability.
Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts said Bachelet had not done enough as U.N. human rights chief.
Macky Sall
The 64-year-old geologist served as president of Senegal for 12 years until 2024.
Sall seeks to support debt-burdened developing countries and has called for an overhaul of the Security Council as developing countries seek permanent seats on the U.N.’s most powerful body.
“More than ever, a reinvented multilateralism remains the best way to respond to the challenges of a world in full transformation,” he declared on X.
Sall was nominated by Burundi. If chosen, he would be the third African secretary general after Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Kofi Annan.
Maria Fernanda Espinosa
Espinosa was Ecuador’s foreign minister and defense minister in the government of former President Rafael Correa. It was designated by Antigua and Barbuda.
Espinosa, 61, has also advised the UN and non-governmental organizations on biodiversity, climate change and indigenous peoples’ policies.
Her former roles as Ecuador’s ambassador to the UN and president of the General Assembly allowed her to gain in-depth knowledge of the global institution, she said in her vision statement.
“I propose a candidacy based on a simple conviction: the UN must regain the courage to set priorities, the discipline to act and the political confidence to act with determination,” she said.
Carolyn Allison Farida Rodrigues Birkett
A career diplomat and former politician, Rodrigues Birkett has served as Guyana’s permanent representative to the UN since 2020. She previously became the first woman and highest-ranking indigenous person to serve as Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
She has held leadership positions at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. If elected, Rodrigues Birkett would become the first woman and first Caribbean national to lead the United Nations.
Rodrigues Birkett is committed to making the UN more effective by strengthening conflict prevention and advancing climate action.
Olara Otunnu
Otunnu, a diplomat and former UN deputy secretary-general, was appointed by Uganda. At 75, he is the oldest of the current candidates for this position.
In his vision statement, Otunnu stressed the need for continued institutional reforms and said he would immediately prioritize efforts to end major international conflicts.
He also pledged to work to create a body to oversee the United Nations’ work on AI and stressed the need for action on climate change that does not undermine economic development.
