The contest to choose the next United Nations Secretary-General is entering its final phase, according to a Euronews report published on 23 October 2026. The outlet says Rebeca Grynspan leads, but narrowly, and that Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates has entered the race and is challenging her. António Guterres’s successor is due to be chosen by the Security Council, which Euronews says has until the end of December to decide.
How the Selection Works
Euronews explains that a winner needs at least nine votes from the 15-member Security Council and no opposition from any of the five permanent members: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia. The General Assembly then confirms the appointment. An informal straw poll among Council officials in the week before the report gave Ms Grynspan a narrow lead over Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Rafael Grossi, the report says, and after two opposing votes the race was relaunched so that new candidates could take part.
The Contenders
Euronews describes Ms Grynspan as Costa Rica’s former vice president and the current Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). She argues that the UN has great potential but is not living up to it, and that reform can help. “Time is running out,” she is quoted as saying, and she calls the vote “not like a business-as-usual type of election”.
Ms Nusseibeh, whom the report calls UAE Minister of State, announced her candidacy, according to a Euronews report of 23 October. Her platform centres on peace and security, with commitments on development, human rights and results-focused reform of the organisation. Euronews describes her as known for what it calls “quiet diplomacy”, and Euronews credits her with securing the adoption of Resolution 2720, which it says opened the way for humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza. “I wish to offer myself to this office as I would serve it: speaking frankly with every government and answering to none,” she said. She also said she is not running because she is a woman.
The article also lists Ms Rodrigues-Birkett, a former foreign minister of Guyana, and Mr Grossi, Argentina’s head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, among the candidates, together with Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Macky Sall, Olara Otunnu and Ivonne A-Baki. Euronews notes that a woman has never held the post in the UN’s more than 80-year history.
Why It Matters
The Secretary-General leads the United Nations Secretariat and is its most visible public figure. In our view, the rules described by Euronews, which give each permanent member an effective veto, mean the eventual winner will need to be acceptable to rival capitals as well as popular among the wider membership. With the Council’s deadline set for the end of December, the weeks ahead will show whether a clear frontrunner emerges.
Leave a Reply