#United_Nations #Macky_Sall #Secretary_General_race #Senegal #Burundi #African_Union
New York.- Four candidates vying to succeed current UN Secretary-General António Guterres were heard this week during a rare public hearing held at the United Nations headquarters. This is only the second time such an initiative has been organised to increase transparency in the selection of the organisation’s top leader.
The candidates include former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, Argentine diplomat Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, and Senegal’s former president Macky Sall, the only African contender in the race.
Over two days of hearings, the candidates were questioned for nearly three hours by the 193 UN member states as well as representatives of non-governmental organisations. The public question-and-answer format, introduced in 2016, is intended to enhance transparency in a process long criticised for its opacity, even though final decisions remain firmly in the hands of the Security Council.
Indeed, the five permanent members – the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France – retain veto power over the nomination of the next Secretary-General. Their influence remains decisive in a process expected to lead to a Security Council recommendation by the end of July, followed by a final decision by the General Assembly.
All four candidates have emphasised the need to restore trust in an organisation facing deep internal divisions. The former Senegalese president has particularly stressed the link between peace and development, arguing that lasting peace cannot exist without addressing poverty, inequality, and climate vulnerability.
Nominated by Burundi, which currently chairs the African Union, Macky Sall nevertheless faces a difficult situation. He does not enjoy unanimous support from the African bloc, nor even from Senegal itself. Allegations of violent repression of protests between 2021 and 2024 continue to fuel diplomatic tensions.
A diplomat noted that the candidacy “divides Africa” and could “taint the start of Burundi’s presidency of the African Union.”
The selection process is also unfolding amid international political pressure. The US envoy to the UN, Mike Waltz, recently stated that the next Secretary-General must align with “American values and interests,” while adding that Washington would support the best candidate.
Finally, several member states are calling for a historic milestone: the election of a woman as UN Secretary-General for the first time, a possibility that remains open at this stage of the process.
With RFI
