The selection of the next UN secretary-general continues. According to a Reuters report dated 7 October, former Vice President of Costa Rica Rebeca Grynspan is in the lead after the fifth informal vote in the Security Council: nine participants supported her candidacy, while six opposed it. This is an interim result—the new secretary-general has not yet been appointed.
When can a decision be expected? The appointment is expected by the end of 2026; there is no exact date yet. António Guterres’s term ends on 31 December, and his successor is due to take office on 1 January 2027. As the UN explains, the Security Council recommends the candidate, while the General Assembly makes the appointment.
I am worried about the person who will have to lead the UN. The organization was created to prevent new wars from breaking out. Today, it increasingly seems that it is being left with a merely decorative role: saying the right words when the most important decisions have already been made without it.
I do not want to become accustomed to a world where borders and sovereignty cease to provide protection, and disagreement with the powerful becomes a threat to a state’s very existence. A world where the killing or abduction of an unwanted leader is portrayed as an acceptable way to resolve political issues.
Armed conflicts reach places where several generations have grown accustomed to living in peace. The arms race and the willingness to resolve disputes by force are increasingly presented as the natural order of things. Sometimes it feels as though the air smells of sulphur—there are so many threats around us and so little trust.
At the same time, behind the abbreviation UN are people who help refugees, deliver food and save lives. Their work is not decorative. It is all the more frightening to see how the organization’s political powerlessness devalues the very idea of common rules.
I wish the future secretary-general strength and resilience. The courage to speak to the powerful about the limits of their power. The patience to bring opponents back to the negotiating table. And the persistence to ensure that the word “peace” once again means the possibility of living, learning and building a future in safety.
