The race to lead the United Nations is officially on — and it’s wide open. With no clear front-runner, six hopefuls took to the stage at the UN’s General Assembly Hall this week to argue why they should be the one to fix an organisation in crisis.

Here’s the breakdown, as reported by cbinews.tv:

So, who’s actually in the running to replace António Guterres when he steps down on 31st December?

We’ve got six names on the ballot so far: Chile’s former president Michelle Bachelet, Ecuador’s María Fernanda Espinosa, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, and Senegal’s former president Macky Sall.

They faced nearly two hours of grilling from diplomats, UN staff and civil society — live on Bloomberg — just one week before the selection process formally kicks off. And the mood? Pretty restrained, but the message was loud and clear: the UN needs to win back trust.

According to cbinews.tv, the UN is facing a serious financial and credibility crunch, with the Trump administration in Washington accusing it of spending recklessly and failing to deliver.

Each candidate tried to show they’re the fixer.

Rebeca Grynspan, who currently heads UN Trade and Development, put it brilliantly: “Five years from now, I would like nobody to ask me again ‘where is the UN?’” She wants a UN that’s back at the table on conflicts and actually delivering results on the ground.

Macky Sall is pitching a 100-day reset, promising to make the UN “more agile, more effective, and more ready to listen.”

Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said she’d be the Secretary-General who shows up, “whether it is in Iran or in Haiti or in Sudan or in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

And IAEA chief Rafael Grossi was blunt about intervention, saying any member who triggers war is giving the Secretary-General a reason to step in. For him, it’s about restoring the UN as a “valid interlocutor.”

Michelle Bachelet, without naming names, made it clear she won’t be bullied by big donor countries: “I will speak out loud what I think is my moral authority and my duty.”

Meanwhile, María Fernanda Espinosa wants to make prevention more than just a slogan — she wants it as an operating principle, with the UN flag front and centre.

What happens next?

On 30th July, the 15 members of the Security Council will hold their first secret straw poll. They’ll keep voting behind closed doors until one person can get nine votes without a veto from the big five — the US, Britain, China, France and Russia. The winner then goes to the General Assembly for formal appointment and takes office on 1st January 2027.

Right now, diplomats say it’s still anyone’s game. One analyst told AFP that Grossi is still the most frequently mentioned front-runner, but Grynspan and Rodrigues-Birkett have plenty of admirers too. And in true UN fashion, other names are still swirling in the corridors — including, rather wildly, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino.

Two big talking points: under the tradition of geographic rotation, Latin America is pushing hard for its turn — Sall is the only non-Latin American in the race. And many member states are saying it’s high time we had a woman at the top for the first time in UN history.

Watch this space. Via cbinews.tv.

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