Race to Lead the UN: Latin American Heavyweights Emerge for Secretary-General Post

The process to elect the 10th United Nations Secretary-General for a five-year term starting January 1, 2022, has reportedly begun with a joint letter from the Presidents of the Security Council and the General Assembly inviting nominations. The current Secretary-General, António Guterres, has an expiring term.

Michelle Bachelet (Chile): Nominated by Chilean President Gabriel Barrick. She is a former President of Chile and previously served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Executive Director of UN Women.

Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica): Nominated by Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves. She is the current Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Rafael Grossi (Argentina): An experienced diplomat and current Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who has publicly declared his candidacy.

Alicia Bárcena (Mexico): Former Mexican Foreign Minister and former Executive Secretary of ECLAC, with strong experience in sustainable development.

Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand): Former Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garcés (Ecuador): Former President of the UN General Assembly.

Kristalina Georgieva (Bulgaria): Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), considered a candidate for the European Union.

Vuk Jeremić (Serbia): Former Serbian Foreign Minister and Guterres' rival in the 2016 election.

Amina Mohamed (Nigeria): Current UN Deputy Secretary-General, whose leadership on SDGs is noted, with African countries reportedly considering her nomination.

Mia Mottley (Barbados): Prime Minister of Barbados and an international face for climate justice.

The election follows a tradition of regional rotation, with Latin America reportedly given priority this cycle. The 15-member Security Council will recommend a candidate to the 193-member General Assembly. The Council uses a process of "Straw Polls" to reach a consensus, where members vote 'support', 'uncompliance', or 'no opinion'. The five permanent members (P5: US, Russia, China, UK, France) must agree, as they hold veto power, and their votes are traditionally distinct in the polls. The General Assembly's final vote is considered a "rubber stamp."

The Secretary-General serves as the 'chief administrative officer,' overseeing an original budget of $3.7 billion and a peacekeeping budget of $5.6 billion, and managing over 30,000 civilian personnel and 60,000 peacekeepers.