With António Guterres’s nearly decade-long tenure as the Secretary-General of the United Nations drawing to a close amid rising conflict around the globe, the race to succeed him as the leader of the world’s most powerful diplomatic body is already underway.
asserted
race → draw → body
Guterres this week delivered his final address to the U.N. General Assembly, in which he called for a greater focus on climate change, a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, “de-escalation and dialogue” in the Middle East, and regulations for artificial intelligence.
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he → deliver → intelligence
At the end of his speech, Guterres bid goodbye to a crowd filled with many diplomats and world leaders who he has worked with over his two five-year terms.
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he → bid → terms
Wherever I will be, whatever I will be doing, I will keep championing the conviction that peace is possible," he said.
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he → do → conviction
"I will continue to stand up for the values of the United Nations Charter and I will never, ever give up.
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I → continue → Charter
Guterres’s successor is set to step in as Secretary-General at a consequential moment for global diplomacy.
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successor → set → diplomacy
Research indicates that last year saw the highest number of active global conflicts since World War II and the greatest number of fatalities since the Rwandan genocide.
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year → indicate → genocide
Tensions in other parts of the world are threatening to boil over.
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Tensions → threaten → world
Climate change is exacting a growing toll.
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change → exact → toll
AI's development is prompting increasing alarm.
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development → prompt → alarm
And the U.N. itself is confronting a growing funding crisis.
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U.N. → confront → crisis
Seven candidates are so far in the running to shepherd the U.N. through those challenges.
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candidates → shepherd → challenges
How will the next Secretary-General be chosen?
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General → choose → ?
The process to choose the next Secretary-General began in November, when a joint letter from the presidents of the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council invited the nominations of candidates from member states.
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letter → choose → states
The initiation letter noted “with regret that no woman has ever held the position” and encouraged member states to “strongly consider nominating women as candidates.”
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woman → note → candidates
Member states nominate candidates by submitting an application to the U.N. including a personal statement with that candidate’s vision for what they’d do in the role, a resume, and campaign finance disclosures.
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they → nominate → role
The General Assembly then holds “interactive dialogues” in which candidates express their hopes for the position and the U.N. in an opening statement, which is followed by questioning from the assembly.
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which → hold → assembly
These televised hearings continue as candidates are submitted to the U.N.
Who becomes Secretary-General ultimately comes down to a decision from the U.N.’s 15-person Security Council, which recommends one individual to the General Assembly.
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which → televise → Assembly
The General Assembly then appoints that person to the position.
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Assembly → appoint → position
As part of its selection process, the Security Council holds “straw polls,” in which members of the council select one of three options for each candidate: “encourage,” “discourage,” or “no opinion expressed.”
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members → hold → candidate
This anonymized process is used to gauge whether candidates would be able to secure the nine votes needed for a formal recommendation by the Security Council.
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candidates → use → Council
Who’s in the running?
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Who → ’ → running
So far nine candidates have been nominated for the position of Secretary-General.
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candidates → nominate → General
Two of those candidates have withdrawn, leaving seven individuals vying to replace Guterres.
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Two → withdraw → Guterres
Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett has been Guyana’s permanent representative to the U.N. since 2020 and previously served as foreign minister for her country and held senior roles at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.
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Birkett → serve → Organization
Nominated by Guyana, her vision statement emphasizes refocusing on the U.N.’s core principles and “a more agile and effective United Nations.”
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statement → nominate → principles
Rebeca Grynspan is the former vice president of Costa Rica, which nominated her for the position, and current secretary-general of trade and development for the U.N.
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which → nominate → trade
She named three principles that define the mission she would undertake as Secretary-General: making the U.N. “more useful,” “more agile,” and “more accountable.”
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U.N. → name → General
Ivonne A-Baki, nominated by Tonga, is a long-time Ecuadorean diplomat who has twice served as the country’s ambassador to the U.S. She has also served as ambassador to countries including Qatar and France.
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She → nominate → Qatar
Her platform highlights her involvement in the 1998 Ecuador-Peru peace settlement.
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platform → highlight → settlement
“Where others speak of reform, I speak of renewal,” A-Baki’s vision statement reads.
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statement → speak → renewal
It is failing to live up to its own Charter, not for want of purpose but for want of focus and discipline.”
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It → fail → focus
María Fernanda Espinosa is the former Foreign Minister and Defense Minister of Ecuador and served as President of the 73rd U.N. General Assembly in 2018.
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Espinosa → serve → 2018
She was nominated by Antigua and Barbuda.
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She → nominate → Antigua
Her vision consists of five pillars: “peace and security, development, digital and energy transformation, closing the delivery gap, and rebuilding credibility.”
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vision → consist → credibility
Garcés in her statement contended that “what is now in question is not the relevance of the United Nations, but its credibility.”
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is → contend → Nations
Rafael Mariano Grossi is an Argentine diplomat who has served as the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since 2019.
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who → serve → 2019
“The world does not need more declarations.
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world → need → declarations
It needs a United Nations capable of responding to the real demands of our time, with impartiality and a results-oriented approach grounded in facts,” Grossi, who was nominated by his country, wrote in his vision statement.
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who → need → statement
Olara Otunnu was Uganda’s permanent representative to the U.N. for five years and briefly served as the country’s foreign minister.
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Otunnu → serve → minister
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
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