South America23 September, 20262 min read
Race for UN Secretary-General Nears End as António Guterres’s Successor Takes Office January 1, 2027
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Eight candidates, including five women, are vying for UN Secretary-General. Antonio Guterres’ term ends, with successor to assume office January 1, 2027.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Brazil Police Kill Suspect After 13 Kindergarteners Held Hostage In Curitiba →
UN race nears end
António Guterres’s tenure as United Nations secretary-general is nearing its end, with the race for his successor framed around the next leader taking office on January 1, 2027.
“So, on January 1st, when I am no longer Secretary-General, be sure of this.”
The contest is heating up, with five women among eight candidates as Guterres’s tenure nears its end.
Guterres delivered his final address to the U.N. General Assembly and quoted him saying, "So, on January 1st, when I am no longer Secretary-General, be sure of this."
The winner is typically chosen and appointed between October and December of the current officeholder’s final year, becoming the United Nations’ tenth secretary-general.
The secretary-general selection could be of particular significance because the United Nations may choose its first-ever woman leader, with seven candidates currently in the running and four of whom are women.
Latin America and women
There is also a strong possibility that a candidate from the Latin American and Caribbean region will be selected, based on the United Nations’ informal regional rotation. Seven candidates are currently in the running, with four of whom are women, and the secretary-general is described as “equal parts diplomat and advocate, civil servant and CEO.” Internal UN polls show Costa Rican Rebeca Grynspan as the favorite, and it describes her as narrowly outrunning Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, ambassador of Guyana to the UN.
Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet withdrew her candidacy to become secretary-general, and it quoted her saying, "I will continue working, with the same determination as always, in the international arena,". Ivonne A-Baki is listed as a candidate, described as a former Ecuadorian ambassador to several countries, including the United States, France, and Qatar, and it quoted her saying the United Nations needs “not another caretaker, but a peacemaker.”
Antisemitism and institutional reset
Jewish leaders worldwide called for a UN reset as the secretary-general race puts antisemitism in focus, urging member states to choose a secretary-general who will place the fight against antisemitism at the heart of their tenure. A joint letter from the J7 Large Communities Task Force Against Antisemitism called on world leaders to make combating antisemitism a central consideration in the upcoming election as they gather for the high-level General Assembly. The letter warned that “within the very system charged with defending human rights, antisemitism has been normalized and even given platforms,” and it urged institutional change.
The race is heating up as Antonio Guterres’s tenure nears its end, and it framed the contest as a question of who is in front and why some say it’s Latin America’s turn. The next secretary-general will be responsible for steering the eighty-one-year-old organization through challenges including internal reforms, severe funding shortfalls, worsening climate change, the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI), and escalating geopolitical tensions.