The evaluation of the four candidates for UN Secretary-General begins this week

Four candidates for United Nations Secretary-General will be evaluated for the post this week, less than 10 years since Antonio Guterres was elected UN chief.

Former President of Chile, Michelle BacheletBachelet, one of two women and one of three candidates from Latin America, will be the first to face ambassadors from the UN's 193 member states during a three-hour question-and-answer session on Tuesday. Bachelet will be followed by the UN's nuclear affairs director, Raphael Mariano Grossi from Argentina.

On Wednesday, the UN trade chief, Rebecca Grynspan, will take center stage in the General Assembly Hall, and finally, the former president of Senegal, Macky Sall.

In 2016, a highly contested race attracted 13 candidates. What has changed this year?

For starters, the deeply polarized and conflict-torn world of 2026 is very different from the more peaceful global climate of 2016, the year Donald Trump was first elected president.

Add to this the decline in the reputation of the United Nations. A decade ago, the world organization was reveling in its successes in helping to achieve the Paris agreement to curb global warming and an agreement by world leaders on 17 goals to promote global economic growth, preserve the environment and narrow the growing gap between rich and poor countries.

Today, divisions among world powers are so deep that the UN has been unable to fulfill its primary role in ensuring global peace and security. The once-powerful Security Council has been blocked from taking action to stop wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran, among other conflicts, leaving the UN on the back burner in major global crises.

Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group, an observer and program director for the UN, said the current geopolitical scene has influenced the race to succeed Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31.

He said that 10 years ago, many candidates entered the race knowing they had little chance of winning, but used it to raise their profile.

"This time, potential candidates and the governments that support them are much more cautious. There is a sense that if a candidate makes a mistake and offends Washington or Beijing, it could cause real diplomatic damage," Gowan said.

How was the election made in 2016?

In 2016, there was strong pressure to elect the first woman to lead the United Nations.

Seven of the 13 candidates were women. But there was broad agreement that Guterres performed better in what the UN calls “interactive dialogue” with members of the General Assembly.

The UN Charter says little about choosing the secretary-general except that the General Assembly, which includes all members, must do so on the recommendation of the Security Council. This gives the five permanent members of the UN's most powerful body — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — a decision-making role and a veto over the selection.

Now, it should be Latin America's turn, although Eastern Europe has never had a secretary-general and missed out on the opportunity in 2016.

Under UN rules, candidates must be nominated by a member state, not necessarily from their own country. There is no deadline for nominations, and more candidates may emerge.

How were the four candidates nominated?

During their hearings this week, the four candidates will likely be asked questions about their vision for the post, global hot spots and the future of the United Nations, but anything can happen.

Bachelet, 74, who served as the UN high commissioner for human rights after two non-consecutive terms as Chile's president, was initially nominated by Chile, Brazil and Mexico. But after Chile's far-right leader, Jose Antonio Castillo, became president in March, his government withdrew its support for Bachelet, a leftist, although she remains a candidate due to nominations from Brazil and Mexico.

By tradition, the secretary-general rotates by region. Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal and the UN refugee chief representing Europe, succeeded former South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-moon, who represented Asia. He succeeded Kofi Annan of Ghana, who represented Africa.

Grossi, 65, a former Argentine diplomat who has been director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency since 2019, was nominated by his country.

Grynspan, 70, a former vice president of Costa Rica, has been secretary-general of the UN Trade and Development Agency, UNCTAD, since 2021 and was also nominated by her country.

Sall, 64, was nominated by Burundi, but his country, Senegal, told the African Union it had not supported him. The 55-nation, divided regional organization did not support him either.

A fifth candidate, Argentine diplomat Virginia Gamba, a former UN representative for children in armed conflict, was nominated by the Maldives, but the Indian Ocean state withdrew her candidacy in late March without giving a reason.

Although there are only two female candidates, pressure for a female secretary-general continues, including from Guterres, who has sought to achieve gender parity in his administration. Britain and France have also said they want to see a woman at the helm.

The global advocacy group 1 for 8 Billion and GWL Voices, an organization of nearly 80 global female leaders, have campaigned for a woman. 

However, Bachelet already faces opposition from the US.

In a March 25 letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 28 Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives urged the United States to veto Bachelet, calling her “a pro-abortion fanatic who seeks to use political authority to override state sovereignty in favor of extreme agendas.”