United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is in his last year in office, and the U.S. has been eagerly anticipating who might follow. This eagerness is particularly acute given the decline of the organization in stature and relevance to peace and security, development, human rights, and other matters of international concern. The process formally kicked off in April, with candidates for U.N. secretary-general presenting their vision for the organization and fielding questions. The results were underwhelming — and it’s obvious that without a clear shift in the way the U.N. head has been functioning, it won’t matter who is ultimately selected.
Currently, there are four candidates: Michelle Bachelet of Chile; Rafael Grossi of Argentina; Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica; and Macky Sall of Senegal. This is far fewer than the 13 candidates in the last open race in 2016. But some of the 2016 candidates entered the race after April, and candidates this year also may enter in the coming months, so it’s quite possible that the next secretary-general may not yet be nominated.
Comments