A new UN Secretary-General will be elected next year for a five-year term starting on 1 January 2027.
Here are the potential candidates so far and how the successor to current UN chief Antonio Guterres will be chosen:
When does the process start?
The race will formally begin when the 15-member Security Council and the president of the 193-member General Assembly send a joint letter requesting nominations.
That letter must be sent before the end of the year. A candidate must be nominated by a UN member state.
The job traditionally rotates between the regions, but when Guterres – who is from Portugal – was elected in 2016, it was supposed to be Eastern Europe’s turn. Next on the list is Latin America; however, some diplomats expect candidates from other regions.
Who will be the next Secretary General?
Although the race does not formally begin until the letter is sent by the presidents of the Security Council and the General Assembly, there are already several publicly declared candidates:
Michelle Bachelet
Chile will nominate the country’s former president Michelle Bachelet, President Gabriel Boric said on September 23, 2025. Bachelet was Chile’s first female head of state and served as president of the South American nation twice. Bachelet was the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights between 2018-2022 and the Executive Director of UN Women between 2010-2013.
Rebecca Grynspan
Costa Rica will nominate former Vice President Rebeca Grynspan, President Rodrigo Chaves said on October 8, 2025. Grynspan, a 69-year-old politician and economist, currently serves as Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Rafale Grossi
Grossi has long said that he considered running an election campaign to become general secretary. When asked by Reuters on September 3, 2025, if he were to run for office, he said, “Yes, I will, yes.” A veteran Argentine diplomat, Grossi is director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a role he has held since 2019.
What is the process?
The 15-member Security Council will formally recommend a candidate to the 193-member General Assembly for election as the UN’s 10th secretary-general later next year.
The Security Council will hold secret ballots – referred to as a straw vote – until agreement is reached on a candidate. The choices councilors are given for each candidate in the straw poll are: encourage, discourage or no opinion.
Ultimately, the five veto-wielding permanent council members – the US, Russia, UK, China and France – must agree on a candidate.
The ballots for the right of veto in the straw vote traditionally have a different color to that of the 10 elected members. When Guterres was chosen to be recommended to the General Assembly in 2016, it took six straw polls before the Security Council reached an agreement.
The Security Council then passes a resolution, traditionally behind closed doors, recommending an appointment to the General Assembly. The resolution requires nine votes in favor and no vetoes to pass.
The General Assembly’s approval of the appointment of a Secretary-General has long been seen as a rubber stamp.
How transparent is the process?
The UN has worked to improve the transparency of the historically opaque selection process.
The General Assembly said in a resolution adopted in September 2025 that each candidate should present a vision statement once they are formally nominated and have the opportunity to present it. It said the vision statement should also be published on a dedicated UN website.
The assembly said that each candidate must disclose their sources of funding and that all candidates who already hold a UN position “should consider suspending their work in the UN system during the campaign in order to avoid any conflict of interest that may arise from their functions and related benefits.”
What does the Secretary General do?
The UN Charter calls the Secretary-General the world body’s “chief administrative officer”. The UN website describes the role as “equal parts diplomat and lawyer, civil servant and executive director.”
Guterres currently oversees more than 30,000 civilian staff and 11 peacekeeping operations with around 60,000 soldiers and police. The core annual UN budget is $3.7 billion, while the peacekeeping budget is $5.6 billion.
Since the power to authorize military force or sanctions rests with the Security Council, the UN chief has little more than a bully’s pulpit. Many diplomats say the five veto oratorios prefer a “secretary” to a “general”.
Has a woman ever been Secretary General?
No. There is a growing push for the UN to elect the first female Secretary-General in its 80-year history.
In the resolution adopted in September, the General Assembly noted “with regret that no woman has ever held the position of Secretary-General” and urged countries to “strongly consider nominating women as candidates.”
