Two leftist women are leading the first poll for the next Secretary-General of the UN

The process to define the next Secretary-General of the United Nations took its first step with an informal poll by the Security Council, where two leftist Latin American women lead the race, while the Argentine Rafael Grossi ranks third.

The instance, known as a straw poll, was conducted under the usual secrecy that surrounds the organization's deliberations. However, the results of this preliminary consultation were leaked, which, although not binding, offers a first political snapshot of the competition to succeed António Guterres.

In this context, Costa Rican Rebeca Grynspan, current Secretary-General of UNCTAD and right-hand woman of the current Secretary, placed first. Following her was Carolyn Rodrigues-Briket, backed by China, which has so far been the only permanent member of the Security Council to publicly express its support.

Her position reinforces a concerning trend that was already circulating in diplomatic circles in New York: the growing weight of the gender factor in defining the next leadership of the UN, regardless of the individual capabilities of the candidate.

“It’s time for women,” stated the Mexican representative to the organization, Peter Thomas Muñoz Ledo, regarding the results of the consultation held on Thursday, July 30.

In third place is the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi. His positioning aligns with previous estimates released by specialized media and international agencies, consolidating his presence within the group of candidates with the greatest possibilities in this initial phase.

The voting consisted of a mechanism in which the 15 members of the Security Council express whether they “encourage” (alientan), “discourage” (desalientan), or have no opinion (no tienen opinión) regarding each candidate. This was explained by Mukongo Ngay, representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the country currently presiding over the body.

Although several rounds of consultations remain before a final decision, the result serves as a first political snapshot of the contest, where the weight of "gender" is beginning to be more relevant than the individual backgrounds and experience of each candidate.

The debate unfolds in a broader context of questioning multilateralism. During the formal opening of the process on July 23, the President of the General Assembly defined the United Nations as “the heart of multilateralism” and called for advancing “concrete” and “impartial” solutions.

After the informal vote, Grossi stated to the press: “We need less bureaucracy and more field work (less headquarters and more field),” in a definition that represents the approach that the IAEA director has maintained since launching his candidacy.

The Argentine diplomat has emphasized on various occasions that his candidacy is supported by his direct experience in conflict zones, from Ukraine to Iran, and on the idea that whoever leads the UN must “put on their boots” and “go to the ground” to address the main international challenges.