Denmark Seeks August 21 Date for Next UN Secretary-General Straw Poll

The United Nations Security Council, chaired this month by Denmark, plans to conduct a second informal poll on August 21 to advance the selection of a new secretary-general, according to Danish ambassador Christina Markus Lassen. Antonio Guterres will leave office at year-end after two terms, and the council’s initial straw poll showed former Costa Rican vice-president Rebeca Grynspan as a narrow front-runner among seven nominees, with former Guyanese foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and IAEA director Rafael Grossi close behind.

Also in the race are former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, ex-Ecuadorian foreign minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former Senegalese president Macky Sall and Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu. The council must avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States—and may need several voting rounds, potentially stretching into late September or early October.

Once a consensus candidate emerges, the council will recommend the appointment to the 193-member General Assembly, which traditionally confirms the choice. The selection unfolds amid calls for UN reform and revitalization as the organization faces criticism over bureaucracy and declining influence.