A United Nations Secretary-General selection is currently being held to choose the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.United Nations, Selection and Appointment of the Next Secretary-General. Retrieved 14 July 2026. The current Secretary-General, António Guterres of Portugal, will complete his second term on 31 December 2026.
Campaign The selection process is governed by Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations and by United Nations General Assembly resolutions, including resolution 79/327 of 5 September 2025.United Nations General Assembly resolution 79/327 of 5 September 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2026. The process formally began on 25 November 2025 with a letter from the President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, and the President of the Security Council, Michael Imran Kanu, inviting Member States to nominate candidates.United Nations, Letter dated 25 November 2025 from the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council addressed to all Permanent Representatives and Permanent Observers to the United Nations. Retrieved 14 July 2026. Nominations are announced jointly by the General Assembly and the Security Council.
Interactive dialogues between the nominated candidates and Member States were held in April and June 2026 and were broadcast live on UN Web TV. A town hall meeting with six of the official candidates, hosted by Bloomberg, took place on 23 July and was also broadcast online.News Room, "Guyana's Rodrigues-Birkett tops UN town hall poll ahead of secretary-general selection", 23 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026. The fifteen members of the Security Council began considering the candidates in July, and are expected to submit a recommendation to the General Assembly later in the year.Letter dated 29 May 2026 from the President of the Security Council to the President of the General Assembly. Retrieved 14 July 2026.France 24, "UN leadership candidates outline visions ahead of secretary-general race", 24 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026. They held the first of several closed-door, anonymous "straw poll" votes on their preferences on 30 July,France 24, "Selection process for next UN chief under way", 30 July 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026. followed by further polls on 21 August and 18 and 29 September.
Under an unwritten customary rule whereby the office of Secretary-General rotates among the organization's five regional groups, a candidate from the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) is strongly favoured.
Candidates
Registered candidates Nine candidates have been formally nominated by Member States, two of whom subsequently withdrew their candidacies.
Photo Candidate Nominator Nominated Regional Group Prior experience CitationsIvonne Baki(Ecuador)Tonga17 August 2026Latin American and Caribbean GroupEcuadorian Ambassador to the United States (1998–2002; 2020–2024)Ecuadorian Ambassador to Qatar (2017–2020)Minister of Foreign Trade of Ecuador (2003–2005)Ecuadorian Ambassador to France (2024)María Fernanda Espinosa(Ecuador)Antigua and Barbuda12 May 2026Latin American and Caribbean GroupPresident of the 73rd UN General AssemblyMinister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador (2017–2018)Minister of National Defence of Ecuador (2012–2014) Rafael Grossi(Argentina/Italy) Argentina Latin American and Caribbean Group Argentine Ambassador to Austria (2013–2019)Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (2019–present) Rebeca Grynspan(Costa Rica)Costa RicaLatin American and Caribbean GroupSecond Vice President of Costa Rica (1994–1998)Secretary-General of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (2014–2021)Secretary-General of UNCTAD (2021–present)Olara Otunnu(Uganda)Uganda25 July 2026African GroupPermanent Representative of Uganda to the United Nations (1980–1985)Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda (1985–1986)President of the International Peace Academy (1990–1998)Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict (1997–2005)Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett(Guyana)GuyanaLatin American and Caribbean GroupMinister of Amerindian Affairs of Guyana (2001–2008)Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana (2008–2015)Director at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (2017–2020)Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations (2020–present)Macky Sall(Senegal)BurundiAfrican GroupPresident of Senegal (2012–2024)Chairperson of the African Union (2022–2023)Prime Minister of Senegal (2004–2007)Special Envoy for the Paris Pact for People and the Planet (4P) (2024)
Withdrawn Photo Candidate Nominator Nominated Withdrew Regional Group Prior experience CitationsMichelle BacheletBrazilMexico19 September 2026Latin American and Caribbean GroupPresident of Chile (2006–2010, 2014–2018) United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (2018–2022) Executive director of UN Women (2010–2013)Virginia Gamba(Argentina)MaldivesLatin American and Caribbean GroupSpecial Advisor to the Secretary-General on Prevention of Genocide and Hate Speech (acting) (2024–2025) Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (2017–2025) Director of the Office of Disarmament Affairs (2012–2015)
Expressed interest Before the formal start of the process and during the initial months, several individuals expressed an interest in the role but no formal candidacies have been received. Colombe Cahen-Salvador, a French activist, co-founder of the Atlas movement. Cahen-Salvador announced her intention to stand in March 2024. David Choquehuanca, foreign minister (2016–2017) and vice president of Bolivia (2020–2025). In May 2025, before nominations formally opened, the Bolivian mission distributed a note to the UN's other permanent missions announcing Choquehuanca's candidacy; the nomination was described as "premature". Bruno Donat of Mauritius, head of the Geneva Office of the United Nations Mine Action Service (2019–2025). Feridun Sinirlioğlu, a former Turkish foreign minister. As of 2 October, Turkey had not formally submitted his candidacy.
Speculated Press speculation about possible candidates, mostly before the formal process commenced, included such names as Jacinda Ardern, Alicia Bárcena, Kristalina Georgieva, Vuk Jeremić, Amina J. Mohammed, Mia Mottley, Kevin Rudd, Juan Manuel Santos and Achim Steiner. Santos and Mohammed both ruled themselves out, with Santos saying he preferred a woman candidate, and Mohammed favouring a female candidate from Latin America or the Caribbean.
Endorsements
Security Council straw polls The Security Council is holding a series of straw polls, in which its members are asked to indicate whether they "encourage", "discourage" or have "no opinion" regarding the candidates. During the first rounds of the polls, all ballots were identical; in future rounds, ballots from the five permanent members will be marked to identify potential vetoes.
+ 2026 United Nations Secretary-General selection straw poll results Candidate 30 July 21 August 18 September 29 September October 7 E D N E D N E D N E D N E D N Michelle Bachelet 6 5 4 2 6 7 1 11 3 Withdrawn Ivonne Baki Not yet nominated 0 8 7 0 10 5 1 11 3 0 14 1 María Fernanda Espinosa 5 2 8 4 3 8 3 6 6 3 10 2 3 9 3 Rafael Grossi 7 2 6 7 6 2 5 8 2 8 7 0 6 7 2 Rebeca Grynspan 10 1 4 7 4 4 9 5 1 10 3 2 9 6 0 Olara Otunnu 2 5 8 5 5 5 5 7 3 5 8 2 3 12 0 Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett 9 2 4 8 3 4 8 6 1 8 6 1 5 9 1 Macky Sall 6 7 2 6 7 2 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 10 0
Candidate received at least one "encouraged" from a veto-wielding P5 memberCandidate received at least one "discouraged" from a veto-wielding P5 member
Notes
References
External links