Six UN secretary-general candidates to take part in televised debate before selection begins

NEW YORK: Six contenders for the post of United Nations secretary-general are set to appear in a televised debate on Thursday in the General Assembly Hall, a week before the formal selection process begins for a leadership role at an organisation facing both financial strain and a crisis of confidence.

The 90-minute event is due to start at 5:00pm local time and will be broadcast by Bloomberg. The candidates will answer questions from diplomats, UN staff and civil society representatives.

Those in the running to replace outgoing Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are Chile's Michelle Bachelet, Ecuador's Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Argentina's Rafael Grossi, Costa Rican Rebeca Grynspan, Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Senegal's Macky Sall. The successful candidate will take office on January 1, 2027.

General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said the forum would give audiences a chance to hear directly from the candidates about their ideas and priorities for the office.

"This UN town hall will.. provide a rare opportunity to engage with the ideas, priorities and leadership vision of the candidates for one of the world's most important positions"

She also said the UN required a leader capable not only of managing the institution effectively, but also of defending its founding principles at a time of global division.

"In an increasingly fragmented world, the United Nations needs not only an exceptional chief administrator who will make the organisation fit for the 21st century but also the leadership and integrity of someone willing to vigorously defend the UN Charter and all its three pillars"

Organisation under pressure

The debate comes as the UN confronts a deep financial and credibility challenge. US President Donald Trump's administration has accused the organisation of wasteful spending, overextension and inadequate performance.

Washington is pressing for a renewed focus on the UN's core peace and security role, while other member states continue to stress that human rights and development are equally central to the body's mandate.

International Crisis Group analyst Richard Gowan told AFP that, despite the significance of the leadership contest, the campaign had so far lacked the energy seen in 2016, when Antonio Guterres was eventually chosen after a more animated race.

"the race does seem short on energy"

Gowan said the current contest had been marked by caution, with candidates appearing wary of upsetting the United States and other permanent members of the Security Council that hold veto power.

"This time around everyone agrees that the race is incredibly important for the future of the UN, but the contest itself has been quite cautious"

There is a sense that the candidates are treading carefully to avoid offending the US and other veto powers.

Voting process and early assessments

The candidates have already undergone three hours of questioning each from representatives of the UN's 193 member states. Most of them, have emphasised the need to continue reforms aimed at making the organisation more efficient, while also arguing for a stronger role for the secretary-general in peace efforts worldwide.

The 15-member Security Council is scheduled to hold its first closed-door and anonymous straw poll on July 30. That informal vote will be followed by an unspecified number of further rounds until one candidate secures at least nine votes and avoids a veto from any of the council's five permanent members. The chosen name will then go to the General Assembly for formal appointment.

Diplomats interviewed by AFP were described as cautious about predicting the outcome, saying several capitals had not yet settled on a preferred candidate. Gowan said Grossi remained the name most often mentioned as the frontrunner, but added that he had not secured the field, while Grynspan and Rodrigues-Birkett also had notable support.

"I find that Grossi is still the mostly frequently mentioned front-runner, but he has not locked the race up. Other candidates like Grynspan and Rodrigues-Birkett also have significant numbers of admirers"

Other names continue to circulate in UN circles and in media coverage, including Fifa President Gianni Infantino, whom the New York Post reported US President Donald Trump would like to see lead the organisation. Latin America is asserting its claim to the office under a tradition of geographic rotation that is not always observed, while many member states are calling for the UN to appoint its first woman secretary-general.