DID Press: The process to select the next Secretary-General of the UN, who will succeed Antonio Guterres, has officially begun. The UN Security Council has called on all member states to submit the candidates they support for this position, whose new term will start on 1 January 2027.
So far, several prominent figures have expressed their interest in running, including Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile; Rica Greenspan, former Vice President of Costa Rica; and Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, an official nomination is valid only if it is submitted by a UN member state.
In the final stage, the selection of the Secretary-General must receive consensus from the five permanent members of the Security Council with veto power — the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China. According to the UN Charter, the Secretary-General serves as the organization’s highest-ranking executive officer. Antonio Guterres has held the position since 2017, and typically, the tenure of the Secretary-General does not extend beyond two terms.