U.N. Searches for Its Next Leader
António Guterres is stepping down in December after two terms as secretary general. No front-runner to succeed him has emerged so far.
Farnaz Fassihi has covered the U.N. and the annual General Assembly of world leaders for 11 years through four U.S. administrations.
As the United Nations searches for its next leader, diplomats say there are key qualities they would like to see in the next secretary general. They seek someone who proactively puts the U.N. at the center of resolving global conflicts and enforces cost-cutting and reform.
The topic of who will succeed António Guterres when he steps down in December is expected to be hotly debated this week behind closed doors in diplomatic meetings during the annual U.N. General Assembly in New York. The conversations “will drive a lot of the candidates’ fortunes and separate contenders from pretenders,” said Daniel Forti, the head of U.N. affairs at the International Crisis Group.
The U.N. Security Council selects the secretary general in a monthslong process that begins with an informal, nonbinding and closed “straw poll,” or informal ballots. The 15 members of the Council vote for the candidates.
They say whether candidates are “encouraged” or “discouraged,” or “no opinion is expressed.”
