🕒 Created

Rebeca Grynspan leads first straw poll for next United Nations secretary-general as pressure mounts to elect first female leader

The United Nations is preparing to select a successor to António Guterres by the end of the year, with mounting pressure to appoint the organization's first female secretary-general. Rebeca Grynspan, a former Costa Rican vice president and current secretary-general of the UN Trade and Development agency, emerged as the frontrunner in the first straw poll with 10 "encourage" votes and only one "discourage" vote. Other prominent candidates include Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana, María Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador, and Michelle Bachelet of Chile. While the administration's gender policies have been scrutinized, U.S. officials suggest gender will not be the deciding factor in choosing a candidate who can work effectively with the five permanent Security Council members. The selection process is driven by the need to find a consensus candidate acceptable to the permanent members. Israel has expressed interest in a leader who can restore transparency and professionalism to the organization, which many believe is currently under pressure to reform and become more nimble.

Sources