If equality triumphs over discrimination, the UN will finally have its first woman at the helm, according to Rebeca Grynspan, former Vice President of Costa Rica and a leading contender for the post of next United Nations Secretary-General.
The process to elect the next UN chief officially began last week, when member states were asked to nominate candidates to succeed António Guterres of Portugal on January 1, 2027.
Despite the UN’s 80-year history as an international agency for peace and cooperation, a woman has never held the post of Secretary-General. Grynspan said this is inexplicable, given how many women possess the credentials and authority necessary for leadership.
Among the publicly announced candidates for the role are Rebeca Grynspan, currently Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, and Argentine diplomat Rafael Grossi.
There are growing calls for a woman to be appointed to the position, and the next Secretary-General will likely come from Latin America, as the position is traditionally distributed among regions. Next on the list is Latin America and the Caribbean.
Grynspan stated that the UN must become more inclusive, pointing out that when it was created after World War II, it had 51 member states, compared to 193 today, most of which had no role in shaping the organization’s original architecture in 1945.
