Senegal’s former president, Macky Sall, is trying to end Africa’s two-decade absence from the United Nations’ top office as six candidates seeking to succeed António Guterres presented their visions during a public debate in New York ahead of a crucial Security Council vote.
The debate, held Thursday in the UN General Assembly Hall, brought together Sall and five other contenders just a week before the formal selection process begins. Sall said his first 100 days as secretary-general would focus on rebuilding confidence in the organisation and making it “more agile, more effective, and more ready to listen.”
The candidates agreed that the next UN chief will inherit an organisation under intense pressure. Financial constraints, growing geopolitical tensions and criticism over the UN’s response to conflicts have all eroded confidence in the institution. Over nearly two hours, the candidates answered questions from diplomats, UN staff and civil society representatives, each arguing that their experience had prepared them to lead the organisation through one of its toughest periods.
Sall faces competition from former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi of Argentina, former Ecuadorian foreign minister María Fernanda Espinosa, UN trade and development chief Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, and Guyanese diplomat Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett. Four of the six candidates are women, strengthening calls for the UN to appoint its first female secretary-general, a factor that could make Sall’s bid even more challenging.
Guterres’ second and final term ends on December 31, and the Security Council will hold its first informal straw poll on July 30. If the council recommends Sall and the General Assembly approves the nomination, he would become only the third African to serve as UN secretary-general and the first since Kofi Annan left office in 2006.
Only two Africans have previously held the position. Egypt’s Boutros Boutros-Ghali became secretary-general in 1992 but served just one term after the United States blocked his reappointment. Ghana’s Kofi Annan succeeded him in 1997, serving two terms until 2006 and sharing the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize with the UN. Together, they led the organisation for 15 consecutive years before South Korea’s Ban Ki-moon and Portugal’s António Guterres took over, leaving Africa without the UN’s top post for the past 20 years.
Sall’s campaign has faced obstacles from the start. Rather than being nominated by Senegal, his candidacy was submitted by Burundi in March. The African Union later declined to formally endorse him, leaving him without the unified continental backing that has often strengthened African candidates. Even so, he remains the only African in the race.
Regional politics could also work against him. While there is no formal rule requiring the secretary-general’s post to rotate among regions, the UN has long observed an informal practice of geographical balance. Many diplomats argue that Latin America is next in line, a view that could benefit the four candidates from the region. Sall is the only contender who is neither from Latin America nor backed by a regional consensus.
Even so, Africa has a strong case. Its 54 member states make up the largest regional bloc in the UN General Assembly, and the continent has become increasingly influential in debates on peace and security, climate finance, development and reform of the multilateral system. Those arguments are expected to feature prominently as Sall seeks support in the weeks ahead.
The race now moves behind closed doors as the Security Council begins a series of informal straw polls before selecting a single nominee for the General Assembly. Any of the council’s five permanent members — the United States, China, Russia, Britain or France — can veto a candidate. For Sall, and for Africa’s hopes of returning to the UN’s highest office, those private votes will carry far more weight than the public debate.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah