Who gets to run the world? Inside the race for the UN next Secretary General

Every few years, a decision is made that rarely trends, seldom sparks protests, and almost never involves voters. Yet it shapes how wars are mediated, how crises are named, and how power is spoken to.

The United Nations is preparing to choose its next Secretary General.

Opening the race for 2027

The five-year term will begin on January 1, 2027. The process has already begun. And once again, the world is being reminded that the most powerful moral voice in global diplomacy is selected not by people but by states, deals, and vetoes.

In January, the President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, formally opened the nomination process. Countries have until April 1 to put forward candidates, who will then take part in interactive dialogues later in April. These are public sessions where contenders present their vision and answer questions from member states and civil society.

Why this choice matters now?

Baerbock did not mince words. The multilateral system, she said, is not just under pressure. It is under attack. And in that context, the choice of the next Secretary General is not procedural. It is symbolic. It signals who the United Nations believes it serves, and who it listens to.

She also acknowledged a statistic that has become increasingly uncomfortable for an organisation founded on equality. In 80 years of existence, the United Nations has never had a woman as Secretary General.

An office built on influence, not force

The job itself defies easy definition. On paper, the Secretary General is described in the UN Charter as the organisation’s chief administrative officer. In practice, the role is equal parts diplomat, crisis manager, advocate, and chief executive.

What the Secretary General actually does

The Secretary General oversees thousands of civilian staff, more than a dozen peacekeeping missions, and budgets that run into billions of dollars. Yet the office holds no army, no vote, and no formal power to enforce decisions. Its authority rests largely on persuasion, credibility, and the willingness to speak uncomfortable truths, sometimes even to the most powerful states.

That tension has always defined the role. The UN chief is expected to respect the concerns of member states while also upholding the moral authority of the institution. To speak for peace, even when peace is inconvenient.

Who is in the running so far

So who wants the job?

So far, one candidate has been formally nominated. Argentina has put forward Rafael Grossi, the current Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. A veteran diplomat, Grossi has argued that the UN does not need another cautious administrator. It needs a Secretary General willing to put on the boots, cross front lines, and be physically present where conflict unfolds.

The candidates and their case for leadership

Chile has announced it will nominate Michelle Bachelet, a former president, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and former head of UN Women. Bachelet brings executive experience, international credibility, and a long track record inside the UN system. Her supporters say these qualities make her uniquely suited for a moment of global fracture.

Costa Rica is backing Rebeca Grynspan, the current Secretary General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development. An economist and former vice president, Grynspan has been explicit in rejecting the idea that women candidates require special treatment. What they are asking for, she says, is simply the absence of discrimination.

But public announcements tell only part of the story.

The real decision-making power lies with the 15-member UN Security Council. It is the Council, not the General Assembly, that recommends a single candidate for appointment. And it does so through a series of secret ballots known as straw polls.

How vetoes quietly decide the outcome

In these polls, candidates are marked as encouraged, discouraged, or receiving no opinion. The five permanent members, the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France, hold veto power. Any one of them can quietly end a candidacy.

When António Guterres was selected in 2016, it took six rounds of straw polling before consensus was reached. Once the Security Council agrees, the General Assembly’s role is largely ceremonial. Approval has long been described by diplomats as a rubber stamp.

Transparency reforms — and their limits

The UN has made efforts to increase transparency. A General Assembly resolution adopted in September 2025 requires candidates to submit public vision statements, disclose funding sources, and if they already hold senior UN posts, consider stepping aside during the campaign to avoid conflicts of interest.

Still, critics argue that the process remains deeply opaque, shaped more by geopolitics than by merit.

The gender question the UN still hasn’t answered

Then there is the unresolved question of representation.

Despite repeated resolutions noting with regret that no woman has ever held the position, the pattern has not changed. Eight men have served as Secretary General. The ninth is currently in office. The tenth will be chosen this year.

Representation versus reality

The United Nations often describes itself as the voice of the world’s peoples, especially the poor and the vulnerable. Half of those people are women.

As the nomination deadline approaches and quiet negotiations intensify behind closed doors, the race for the UN’s top job is about more than names. It is about whether the institution is willing to evolve, or whether it will once again choose familiarity over change.

This is not an election most people get to vote in. But its consequences will be felt far beyond the halls of the United Nations.

And this time, the world is watching more closely than before.