Friday, July 24th 2026 - 07:00 UTC
The common thread across the interventions was the need to restore the credibility of an organization facing financial strains and largely absent from negotiations over the world's major conflicts
The six contenders to succeed António Guterres at the head of the United Nations set out their proposals on Thursday in a debate held in the General Assembly Hall, a week before the formal start of the selection process. For nearly two hours they answered questions from diplomats, UN staff, and civil society representatives, in a publicly broadcast session.
The candidates are former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, former Ecuadorian foreign minister María Fernanda Espinosa, Argentina's Rafael Grossi, currently director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, former Guyanese foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, and former Senegalese president Macky Sall. Five of the six come from Latin America and the Caribbean, in line with the regional rotation expectation that favors the region this cycle; Sall is the only African candidate. Guterres leaves office on December 31.
