Top candidates grilled at UN in contention to replace Gutteres as secretary general

Four candidates contending to replace UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres were questioned for hours in New York this past week about their views on global issues and leadership as part of the selection process for the chief administration position.

The candidates - Argentina's Rafael Grossi, who currently serves as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Chile's Michelle Bachelet, Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan, and Senegal's Macky Sall - fielded questions tailored to probe their fitness for the leadership role.

Grossi said that "there are enormous, huge doubts about our institution" and its ability to deal with global problems.

He highlighted the UN's loss of legitimacy on the world stage, saying, "We have to concentrate on that." He too emphasized the need for the UN chief to visit global flashpoints.

So far, no clear frontrunner has emerged, leaving space for other candidates to join the race to succeed Guterres on January 1.

"This role matters," said General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, who presided over the question-and-answer sessions.

"The secretary-general is not only the head of the UN and the world's top diplomat - she or he also represents all 8 billion of us, defending the UN Charter and leading on peace, development, human rights."

All four said they would focus on the three pillars of the UN - ensuring international peace and security, protecting and upholding human rights, and fostering development, and all pledged to enable reforms.

Bachelet, two-time president of Chile and former UN human rights chief, told the ambassadors that the UN must try to avoid crises and that she has the right leadership skills.

"I stand before you to reclaim the urgent need for dialogue," she said, and stressed the need for the general secretary to be "physically present in the field."

Grynspan, a former vice president of Costa Rica and the secretary-general of the UN trade and development agency, leaned into her ability to maintain the organization's principles under pressure, saying she would "continue to be the moral voice and the impartial voice that the secretary-general has to be."

Grynspan, who in her vision statement wrote that “the United Nations, the world needs must be the cornerstone of our collective mission,” views the shortcomings of the UN as the result of institutional risk aversion, saying, "We need to take more risks - and I am ready to fail and try again."

Sall, a former president of Senegal, said the UN needs to "regain its place at the global table," vowing to be a "bridge-builder" who would "contribute to restoring trust, to calm tensions, reduce fragmentation and breathe renewed hope into our collective action."

Traditionally, the role of secretary-general rotates on a regional basis, and this election marks Latin America’s turn.

Sall, whose candidacy sparked demonstrations outside the UN headquarters over corruption allegations, is the only candidate from outside the region; however, the charter does not impose hard limitations on this matter.

He is not the only one to face pushback. Bachelet is facing a potential Security Council veto through US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over her stance as a “pro-abortion zealot,” according to some US lawmakers.

“It is not immediately obvious whether any candidate did enough to propel themselves ahead of the others, or to ward off potential challengers who might emerge later,” said Daniel Forti, the International Crisis Group’s head of UN affairs.

The decision falls to the UN Security Council, which has yet to choose among the candidates before passing its selection to the General Assembly for final approval.

She concurs with Grynspan, saying that the UN is no longer respected on matters of international crises “because it hasn’t had the courage to take risks.”

UN official Susana Malcorra said the UN needs new leadership and energy “more than ever.”