Why is it important
The main issues that enter into the process that is now underway are:
- Which country will the next UN chief come from?
- Will a woman be elected for the first time to lead the Organization?
- How will the five permanent members of the Security Council overcome their political differences in an increasingly fractured world?
A brief reminder about the role of the Secretary General
The Secretary-General, or SG, as this role is often referred to by UN experts, is the chief administrative officer and top diplomat of the UN and has the following tasks:
- He leads the UN Secretariat and global operations.
- Bring issues that threaten international peace to the UN Security Council
- Acts as a mediator, advocate and public voice in global crises.
- Implements decisions of member states.
Four candidates nominated as next UN Secretary General; Michelle Bachelet (Chile), Rafael Grossi (Argentina), Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica) and Macky Sall (Senegal).
When will the next Secretary General be elected?
The term of current head António Guterres ends on December 31, 2026, so the next SG is expected to start work on January 1, 2027.
The electoral process is already underway:
- November 2025: Member States invited to present candidates by 1 April 2026
- April 21 and 22, 2026: Candidates are questioned by UN Member States in televised “informal dialogues” in the UN General Assembly hall
- End of July 2026: 15-member Security Council debates candidates behind closed doors
- End of 2026: The UN General Assembly formalizes the appointment
In practice, the decision is usually made between August and October.
Who are the candidates?
The field often includes diplomats, prime ministers, UN members and high-level international figures.
Four candidates have been nominated so far.
The UN shield appears in the General Assembly room.
How it works:
- Candidates must be nominated by at least one UN Member State
- Countries can nominate one candidate each (alone or jointly)
- Self-nomination is not allowed
- Additional candidates may be nominated after the April 1 deadline.
Informal rules:
- Nationals of the five permanent members of the Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States), known as (P5), do not appear.
- There is no official regional rotation policy in terms of where the SG should come from, although some argue that it is Latin America’s “turn” which may explain why three of the candidates declared so far are from that region.
Power brokering in the General Assembly and the Security Council
The Secretary-General is appointed by the 193-member General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council (as set out in Article 97 of the United Nations Charter).
While the 15-member Council, and in particular its five permanent members, who can veto any candidate, plays a decisive role in formulating the recommendation, the appointment is ultimately made by the Assembly.
To become an SG, a candidate must:
- Obtain majority support in the Security Council
- Avoid the veto of anyone in the P5
Trygve Lie of Norway was the first Secretary General of the UN.
Informal polls are conducted among Council members indicating whether they encourage, discourage, or have no specific opinion about a candidate.
These polls continue until there is a majority candidate without a single veto from a P5 member.
Is it likely that a woman will be elected?
The pressure builds, but there are no guarantees.
- In the 80 years since the founding of the UN, there have been nine Secretary-Generals, but never a woman has held the position.
- Member States encouraged to nominate women
- But gender is not a formal selection criterion
Security Council Policy.
The final decision still largely depends on whether the P5 can reach a consensus. The P5 disagreement and the stalemate in the Security Council over the recent crises in Gaza, Ukraine and now Iran have shown how difficult the task ahead could be.
The tenth Secretary General will follow in the footsteps of:
- António Guterres (Portugal)who took office in January 2017;
- Ban Ki-moon (Republic of Korea)2007 to 2016;
- Kofi Annan (Ghana)1997 to 2006;
- Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Egypt)1992 to 1996;
- Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (Peru)1982 to 1991;
- Kurt Waldheim (Austria)1972 to 1981;
- U Thant (Burma, now Myanmar)1961 to 1971;
- Dag Hammarskjöld (Sweden)1953 to 1961;
- Trygve Lie (Norway)1946 to 1952.