The race for the next leader of the United Nations has reached a new level: four declared candidates answered questions for several hours over two days, with the main one being whether the UN can be made effective again, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
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Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Argentine diplomat who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency, expressed pessimistic forecasts about the future of this global organization during his interview for the position of Secretary-General, replacing António Guterres.
"This election, or selection, process is of immense importance, and that is because we are living at a time when there are huge doubts about our organization," Grossi said on Tuesday. "The direction in which the UN is moving is not the one we would all like to see."
Michelle Bachelet, the former president of Chile, also offered her bleak assessment, stating: "Our peace and order, based on the international law that underpins it, are under pressure as never before." Two other candidates, senior UN official Rebeca Grynspan and former Senegalese president Macky Sall, also expressed pessimism: Grynspan stated that trust in the organization is "fading, and time to restore it is running out."
The candidates' comments accurately reflected the state of affairs in the organization during Guterres' 10-year tenure. Nominally tasked with ensuring global peace and security, its leaders have overseen wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran, the publication writes.
Even when crises such as the war in Gaza or the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz are discussed in the Security Council, the organization's permanent members—especially the US, China, and Russia—often fail to reach an agreement, resulting in resolutions being regularly rejected.
"The UN is a reflection of the world it is meant to uphold, and we are now in much tougher times than the last few decades," noted Daniel Forti, head of UN liaison at the International Crisis Group. "It's clear that being Secretary-General has become much more difficult than ten years ago due to the geopolitical situation in the world."
New candidacies can emerge at any time until someone receives at least 9 out of 15 votes in the Security Council without objections from the five members with veto power. There is no official deadline for electing the next leader, but Guterres' term expires on December 31. Throughout the summer, the Security Council will begin informal consultations and move to secret "straw polls."
Another important factor in the selection will be US President Donald Trump. He has repeatedly criticized the organization, lamenting that it has not realized its potential, and even proposed his Peace Council as a possible competitor to the global organization. In January, the administration announced its withdrawal from 31 UN structures. He also withheld about $2 billion in contributions that the US still owes.
In addition to these challenges, the UN has warned that it could run out of money this summer, largely due to a lack of American funding. The next Secretary-General will have to confront all these issues as part of efforts to revitalize the organization.
"Secretaries-General, when they succeed, succeed because they understand the historical moment they are in and move the UN in a direction where it becomes relevant in a new way," said historian Thant Myint-U, whose grandfather was Secretary-General U Thant.
Momentum has also slowed regarding the possible selection of the first female Secretary-General. A September resolution called on members to "seriously consider" women when it came to selecting candidates for the position.
The Trump administration indicated that the most qualified individual would be chosen, regardless of gender, but some Republican lawmakers have already called on the US to veto Chilean Bachelet due to her views on abortion and China.
The last 10 years of Guterres' tenure, the former Prime Minister of Portugal, have also highlighted the tensions associated with the position. He is often accused of focusing too much on climate change and not enough on security. Recently, the Secretary-General has faced discontent over cost-cutting efforts, which have led to thousands of job cuts, the publication notes.
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