Who Will Next Lead the United Nations? |
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at changing United Nations leadership, new doubts over U.S.-Iran peace talks, and Japan’s massive defense export overhaul.
It is time to choose who will next lead the United Nations. On Tuesday and Wednesday, four candidates vying to succeed U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres will be grilled on several pressing global issues, from ongoing conflicts to climate change, as well as on how they envision reshaping the organization’s mandate.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at changing United Nations leadership, new doubts over U.S.-Iran peace talks, and Japan’s massive defense export overhaul.
It is time to choose who will next lead the United Nations. On Tuesday and Wednesday, four candidates vying to succeed U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres will be grilled on several pressing global issues, from ongoing conflicts to climate change, as well as on how they envision reshaping the organization’s mandate.
“In a nutshell, this is one of the toughest jobs in the world,” said Annalena Baerbock, the president of the U.N. General Assembly. “But it is also one of the most important, as the next secretary-general will not only shape the future of this institution but, in her or his role as the strongest defender of the U.N. Charter, also that of the international rules-based order.”
The current front-runner is Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). With a reputation for being a man of action, the former Argentine diplomat is known for his shuttle diplomacy in the Russia-Ukraine and Iran wars. Among his most notable achievements, Grossi stationed an IAEA team at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in September 2022, and he has engaged in nuclear talks with Tehran in recent months, though some critics have argued that Grossi has been too soft on Iran’s uranium enrichment ambitions.
Grossi will be questioned on Tuesday alongside Michelle Bachelet, who if chosen would become the first woman to lead the United Nations. Bachelet has an extensive résumé; she held two terms as the president of Chile, served as the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, and acted as the executive director of U.N.........