A new United Nations Secretary-General will be elected next year for a five-year term starting on January 1, 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 start when the 15-member Security Council and the president of the 193-member General Assembly send a joint letter soliciting nominations.

That letter is due to be sent by the end of the year. A candidate has to be nominated by a UN member state.

The job traditionally rotates among 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 wants to be the next secretary-general?

While the race doesn’t 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 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights between 2018-2022 and executive director of UN Women between 2010-2013.

Rebeca 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 UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Rafale Grossi

Grossi has long said he was considering campaigning to be secretary-general. When asked by Reuters on September 3, 2025 if he was definitely going to run, he said: “Yes, I am going to do that, yes.” A veteran Argentinian 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 10th UN secretary-general later next year.

The Security Council will hold secret ballots — referred to as a straw poll — until a consensus is reached on a candidate. The choices council members are given for each candidate in the straw poll are: encourage, discourage or no opinion.

Ultimately, the five permanent veto-wielding council members — the United States, Russia, Britain, China and France — must agree on a candidate.

The ballots for the veto powers in the straw poll are traditionally a different color to those of the 10 elected members. When Guterres was chosen in 2016 to be recommended to the General Assembly, it took six straw polls for the Security Council to reach agreement.

The Security Council then adopts a resolution, traditionally behind closed doors, recommending an appointment to the General Assembly. The resolution needs nine votes in favour 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 United Nations has been working to improve the transparency of the historically opaque selection process.

The General Assembly, in a resolution adopted in September 2025, said each candidate should provide a vision statement when they are formally nominated and be given the opportunity to present it. It said the vision statement should also be publicised on a dedicated United Nations web page.

The Assembly said each candidate should disclose their sources of funding and that any candidates who already hold a UN position “should consider suspending their work in the United Nations system during the campaign, with a view to avoiding any conflict of interest that may arise from their functions and adjacent advantages.”

What does the secretary-general do?

The UN Charter calls the secretary-general the “chief administrative officer” of the world body. The UN website describes the role as “equal parts diplomat and advocate, civil servant and chief executive officer.”

Guterres currently oversees more than 30,000 civilian staff and 11 peacekeeping operations with around 60,000 troops and police. The core annual United Nations budget is $3.7 billion, while the peacekeeping budget is $5.6 billion.

Since the power to authorise military force or sanctions rests with the Security Council, the UN chief has little more than a bully pulpit. Many diplomats say the five council veto powers prefer a “secretary” rather than a “general.”

Has a woman ever been secretary-general?

No. There is a growing push for the United Nations to choose 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 encouraged countries to “strongly consider nominating women as candidates.”

• Strategic location makes Pakistan hub for regional connectivity: DPM
• Dar stresses seamless linkages via road, rail, air, digital corridors.
• Highlights Pakistan’s readiness to strengthen regional value chains
  

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday underscored the importance of regional connectivity for stability, economic growth and collective progress.

Addressing the Regional Transport Ministers’ International Conference in Islamabad on Thursday, he said Pakistan stands ready to coordinate transport plans, enhance crossborder facilitation, mobilise joint investments and strengthen regional value chains, reported Radio Pakistan.

He mentioned that Pakistan’s strategic location connecting South Asia with Central Asia, the Middle East and China makes it a natural hub for regional connectivity.

Emphasising that the region has to built seamless linkages through road, rail, air, maritime and energy and digital corridors, turning geography into an opportunity, the DPM said that CPEC was now widely recognised as a catalyst for energy infrastructure development, transport connectivity and enhanced trade across the whole of South Asia and Central Asia.

Dar further noted that the initiative embodies the country’s commitment to building partnerships that deliver tangible benefits not just for Pakistan and China but for the entire region.

He said Pakistan’s motorways and highways form the backbone of regional and domestic connectivity linking key border crossings to the ports of Karachi and Gwadar.

Referring to key connectivity initiatives, the deputy prime minister said that the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan rail framework agreement is a landmark initiative to open new trade avenues. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to investing in regional energy projects. 

Addressing the conference, Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan stressed the need for practical and actionable measures to strengthen transport linkages, facilitate trade and deepen regional integration.

The minister noted that transport and connectivity are pillars of economic growth and said that efficient transport systems are a necessity for competiveness, resilience and sustainability.   

Khan remarked said the conference provides the opportunity to share perspectives and forge partnerships to strengthen transport networks and bring our communities closer together.

• Thanks Trump for ending 88-hour standoff, calling it a ‘vital act.’
• Urges UN-backed Kashmir issue mediation for regional peace.
• Says only undocumented Afghan refugees being repatriated.

WASHINGTON, DC: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, has reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to diplomacy, stability, and pragmatic economic policies, calling the Pakistan-US partnership “vital” to peace and progress.

“Between the two mega countries of today and tomorrow – from both a present and a futuristic perspective – good relations are not a matter of choice or preference; they are indispensable,” Ambassador Sheikh stated during a panel discussion on “The Future of the US-Pakistan Relationship” at the Future Security Forum 2025 in Washington, DC.

Highlighting the depth and continuity of the bilateral partnership, Ambassador Sheikh noted that Pakistan and the United States shared a longstanding and consequential relationship, marked by collaboration on critical global challenges, including counterterrorism and climate change.

The 11th Annual Future Security Forum was organised by Arizona State University and New America in collaboration with Security & Defence PLuS. The event brought together senior policymakers, defence experts, and thought leaders for discussions on emerging global security dynamics.

He thanked the US leadership, particularly President Trump, for facilitating the ceasefire that ended the 88-hour standoff, calling it “a vital act that prevented escalation in a nuclear neighbourhood of 1.7 billion people.”

Addressing a wide range of issues, including climate change, India-Pakistan relations, the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), China-Pakistan relations, the Ukraine conflict, and regional tensions with Afghanistan, Ambassador Sheikh reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to diplomacy, stability, and pragmatic policymaking.

He spoke at length about Pakistan’s climate resilience and self-reliance. He said that climate change was not an abstract concept for Pakistan but an existential crisis. 

The ambassador recounted the country’s repeated cycles of devastating floods, describing new phenomena such as cloudbursts and compounding, sequential climate disasters that have destroyed infrastructure, reversed economic gains, and disrupted development programmes.

Sheikh emphasised that Pakistan’s diplomacy today was deeply intertwined with climate policy and economic security, noting that “what we build every few years is washed away by floods, but we still must pay back what we borrowed to rebuild.”

Reiterating Pakistan’s principled stance on IIOJK, he called for international mediation to help the Kashmiri people realise their right to self-determination in line with UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, emphasising that peace in South Asia remains contingent upon the resolution of this longstanding dispute.

Rejecting “camp politics,” he said Pakistan’s foreign policy seeks balanced relations. He asserted that Pakistan’s ties with Beijing were rooted in historical continuity and economic cooperation.

“There is no binary choice for us. Our relationship with China didn’t start yesterday, and it is not ending tomorrow,” he remarked, adding that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) should be viewed through an economic lens, as a facilitator of regional connectivity and prosperity.

He recalled Pakistan’s pivotal role in fostering rapprochement between the United States and China decades ago and expressed readiness to play a similar role today as an economic bridge for global peace and progress.

Condemning cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan, Ambassador Sheikh stated that Pakistan has endured immense suffering from terrorism and will address it resolutely. 

However, he reaffirmed that diplomacy remained Pakistan’s preferred approach to resolving bilateral issues with both Afghanistan and India.

“Diplomacy is our preference. Pakistan’s history shows we have always stood for diplomatic solutions,” reaffirmed the ambassador.

On the issue of Afghan refugees, Ambassador Sheikh clarified that only undocumented or illegal residents were being repatriated and that Pakistan wanted to ensure their return in a dignified manner. 

Movement across the Pak-Afghan border ought to be visa-based as per the international practice, he continued.

Regarding the ongoing Ukraine conflict, he acknowledged and welcomed peace efforts led by the United States under President Trump’s leadership, expressing hope for their success.

Ambassador Sheikh concluded by thanking the organisers of the Forum and engaging with the audience in a constructive question-and-answer session, underscoring Pakistan’s enduring commitment to global peace, dialogue, and mutual respect in international relations.