Let the Race for UN Secretary General Begin!
What We Learned From 12 Hours of Hearings With the Candidates for UN Secretary-General
On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, the four candidates for UN Secretary-General made their case at the UN General Assembly. Across twelve hours spanning two days, they took questions from UN member states and civil society groups eager to learn more about their priorities, proclivities, and leadership styles should they become the next UN Secretary-General on January 1, 2027.
It was a marathon — and my To Save Us From Hell co-host Anjali Dayal and I watched it all! In today’s episode, we tell you what we learned.
To kick things off, we explain how the process for selecting a UN Secretary-General works — and how these hearings fit into it. We then break down what we heard from each of the candidates: Michelle Bachelet, Rafael Grossi, Rebeca Grynspan, and Macky Sall, bringing you the key highlights and takeaways. Consider this your curtain-raiser for a year of public campaigning and backroom dealmaking that will result in the selection of the next UN Secretary-General in the coming months.
This episode is free for all and can also be found later today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.
The selection of the next Secretary General is a major story in international diplomacy and I plan on covering it to the finish line — whenever that may be (but hopefully before January 1!)
Hi - or low...
Free and happy,
Thanks to you both.
One question that you did not mention at all was structural and institutional reform, including maybe the rewriting of some parts of the Charter.
The positions of the candidates on these issues - forwardship or not, intent and capacity - might and should turn out to be essential in the process.
In my humble opinion, a sucessful candidate will need to be able to do just that, and mainly that: to bring the Organization into its next level of functionning. The rest is very important, lives and well-being at stake for everyone, but this is our planetary structure, and it must function in respect of the people and our common human future.
Yours kindly,
C