Newscasts - How does the UN pick its chief and who are the contenders?

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15/01/2026 07:55

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Source: 'Reuters - General news videos'

Description: The United Nations will pick its next secretary-general this year for a five-year term beginning in 2027. How will the 193-member General Assembly choose the successor to current U.N chief Antonio Guterres, and who are the likely candidates for that position? Joshua Lim explains.

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Video Transcript:

The United Nations will be choosing its next Secretary-General this year. Antonio Guterres' replacement will serve a five-year term starting from the beginning of 2027. But selecting the next symbol for the United Nations’ ideals will be a complex process. This week, the president of the world body's General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, called for nominations.

It is a choice that will determine how we address pressing global challenges, from conflicts and climate change to inequality. We need someone who is up to the task at hand, who can chart a path to the future while passionately defending the principles of our Charter.

So, how does the UN go about choosing its next Secretary-General, and might it finally get a female leader? Candidates first have to be nominated by UN member states by April 1 this year. Nominees will then take part in so-called “interactive dialogues,” which will be broadcast online. That gives them a chance to present their vision and take questions. So far, only one candidate has been formally nominated. Rafael Grossi is a veteran Argentine diplomat who serves as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Two other publicly-declared candidates have yet to be formally nominated. Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet also previously served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, while Rebecca Greenspan is the former Vice President of Costa Rica and currently serves as Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development. Both potential candidates will be nominated by their home countries. In the UN's 80-year history, no woman has ever served as Secretary-General, but in the resolution adopted in September, the General Assembly encouraged countries to “strongly consider nominating women as candidates” though Greenspan says that's not helpful.

We don’t need a special treatment. What we are really asking for is no discrimination.

Once member states have put up their nominations, the UN's 15-member Security Council steps in. It will hold secret ballots called “straw polls” until a consensus is reached on the candidate. Ultimately, the five permanent veto-wielding council members must agree on a candidate. That process could take multiple ballots, as was seen with Guterres' appointment:

After our sixth straw poll, we had a clear favorite, and his name was Antonio Guterres.

The Security Council's choice then has to be approved by the General Assembly, though that's usually a formality.

I, Antonio Guterres-

The UN Charter calls the Secretary-General the Chief Administrative Officer of the world body. Currently, the UN chief oversees thousands of civilian staff and 11 peacekeeping operations. The core annual United Nations budget is $3.45 billion, while the peacekeeping budget is $5.4 billion. Only the Security Council can authorize military force or sanctions, while the UN Secretary-General can merely advocate action. Many diplomats say the five Security Council veto powers prefer a secretary rather than a general.