Is climate a priority for the next United Nations Secretary-General?

olgabogdan07
Apr 29
9 min read

The world is watching over the selection of the next «top diplomat» to lead the United Nations, as the term of the current Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres (from Portugal), will expire on 31 December 2026. Amid international geopolitical turmoil (in today’s turbulent times) and the UN’s credibility crisis, the stakes of the vote are «exceptionally high» (1).

There are currently four individuals in the race, three of whom are from the Latin American and the Caribbean region (GRULAC) and two of whom are women. According to established practice, it is now the turn of a representative from the GRULAC to hold the position of UNSG. The last time a UNSG came from this region was in 1981. There are also strong calls from UN Member States and civil society (2) for the next UNSG to be a woman, given that no woman has ever held the post.

The Secretary-General will be appointed by the UN General Assembly (UNGA), but the «real power over the final say continues to be held by the Security Council behind closed doors». (3) This is because, the Security Council, after internal deliberations, has to recommend only one candidate for approval by UNGA, in line with Article 97 of the UN Charter.

The process

The process of selection and appointment of the next UNSG was launched on 25 November 2025 (4) by the President of the UN General Assembly, Ms Annalena Baerbock, and the President of the UN Security Council, Mr Michael Imran Kanu, who jointly circulated a letter inviting Member States to submit, individually or as a group, candidates for consideration. The letter underlined the principles of transparency and inclusivity of the process and also encouraged the nomination of women as candidates, noting with regret that no woman had ever held the position of UNSG.

UN General Assembly resolution 79/327 (5) on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly describes in more detail the process. It recalls that the candidates should adhere to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity and strong commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter.

The President of the UN General Assembly has convened webcast Interactive Dialogues on 21 and 22 April 2026. (6) During the sessions, all candidates had the opportunity to present their vision and interact with Member States and civil society, who posed questions.

In July (7), the Security Council will hold straw polls until one candidate receives at least nine votes from the fifteen members and no veto from any of the Permanent Members. Once a candidate passes that threshold, the Security Council will send the recommendation to the UN General Assembly, which has never rejected the Council’s choice.

The selection process will end with the swearing into office of the next UN SG during the last quarter of 2026.

Curriculum Vitae and Vision Statements

Each candidate has provided a Vision Statement, their Curriculum Vitae and the source of funding for their campaign.

Ms Michelle Bachelet was put forward by Brazil and Mexico, while her home country, Chile, has withdrawn its support on 25 March 2026. She is the former President of Chile and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She also co-led, with Brazil’s Minister of Environment, the Regional Dialogue on Ethics and Climate Change in preparation for UNFCCC COP-30, which took place in November 2025, in Brazil.

In her vision statement (8), Ms Bachelet makes it clear that we need a transformed United Nations to respond to current crises, including to that of climate change. Climate action features strongly in her view of a United Nations looking forward, where economic development goes hand in hand with protecting the Planet.

She emphasizes the need for responses that pay special attention to developing countries, like the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and vulnerable communities. She supports innovative financial instruments to address the climate crisis and ensure a just energy transition.

Mr Rafael Mariano Grossi was nominated by Argentina. He has served more than 40 years in diplomatic roles for his country and is the current Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In this role, he launched the initiatives NUTEC Plastics for combatting plastic pollution and Atoms for Net Zero to support clean energy. He has also facilitated the global consensus on the need for nuclear power in the energy transition.

In his vision (9), he only recalls the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, without making any reference to climate action.

Ms Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis was nominated by Costa Rica. She was Secretary-General of the UN Trade and Development, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Program, and former Vice-President of Costa Rica.

In her vision statement (10), she briefly mentions the danger of climate change and the opportunities provided by clean energy.

Mr Macky Sall was put forward by the Government on Burundi. He is the former President of Senegal. He was also Special Envoy of the Paris Pact for People and Planet and is currently President of the Global Center on Adaptation.

In his vision (11), he briefly mentions the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the climate vulnerability.

Interactive Dialogues

In the current global geopolitical setting, it is clear that peace and security, rebuilding trust in an effective multilateralism, reinvigorating the role of the United Nations, including through the UN80 reform, and upholding the principles of the UN Charter and of international law, were central to the discussion. (11) Many States referred to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Pact for the Future.

Climate concerns emerged only peripherally in the discussion. However, some states posed bold questions linking climate directly to peace and security. For example, Trinidad and Tobago speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community, in the dialogue with Ms Bachelet, asked how it would be possible to adapt the peace and security architecture to addressing emerging threats such as climate change. The Maldives speaking in the dialogue with Ms Grynspan stressed that for Small Island Developing States, insecurity is often driven by climate impacts, rather than by conventional conflicts. In a similar way, Papua New Guinea, speaking on behalf of the Pacific Island Forum, in the dialogue with Mr Grossi, called for balancing action on conflicts that dominate headlines with existential threats such as climate change.

« Without the Agenda 2030 that reflects the three pillars, we will not be able to reestablish trust in the United Nations.» (Ms Michelle Bachelet)

Ms Bachelet presentation and responses focused on the urgent need for hope, dialogue and continuous reform in order to rebuild trust in the United Nations. She also supported a balanced approach to action on the three pillars of the United Nations. Referring to the second pillar, Ms Bachelet recalled the need for «meaningful climate action». Replying to a question about the right to development, she also made reference to the newly established right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. (13) In her reply to the Solomon Islands, on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum, she said that «climate change is the biggest threat to humanity» and that for the SIDS, like for other countries, «climate change is a question of survival, and I will not treat it as anything else». She was also in favor of the most ambitious interpretation of the Paris Agreement. In her response to the Timor-Leste, on behalf of the Community of Portuguese-speaking countries, Ms Bachelet underlined the importance of the BBNJ Agreement and the important work done in establishing Marine Protected Areas (see previous article on this blog).

« Restoring gains depends on dialogue and on UN Secretary-General’s ability to be a credible force.» (Mr Rafael Mariano Grossi)

Mr Grossi underscored the role of the United Nations in a world of «fragmentation and polarization», where war is prevailing and has even returned to Europe. He emphasized that he would engage with all actors, especially those at war, and would support solving problems on the ground. In response to a question by Papua New Guinea, on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum, he said he would engage internationally, including with those who are causing the problem of climate change, for finding efficient solutions. He also mentioned the need to recognize the «unique vulnerability of SIDS». He later endorsed the Loss and Damage Fund as an achievement of a recent COP, but stressed that we need to recognize that the funds pledged are «meager» and the gap with what is needed is quite large. In reply to Palau, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of SIDS, he said that global ambition on climate is «at the heart» of his mission. He added that there needs to be a reinvigorated dialogue on energy matters.

«Multipolarity is not a choice, it’s a fact. What is a choice, is multilateralism.» (Ms Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis)

Ms Grynspan highlighted the need of bringing the United Nations back at the table of negotiations for peace, implementing reform for delivery, and shaping cooperation for the future. In her presentation, she mentioned the promise of clean technologies. In response to a question by the Solomon Islands, on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum, she referred to the «incredible challenges» the SIDS face because of climate change and supported the idea of more investment in connectivity and adaptation to face an increasing number of disasters. Replying to Timor-Leste, on behalf of the Community of Portuguese-speaking countries, she said that «the health of the Ocean is essential for the sustainability of humanity» and made reference to WTO agreements on curbing overfishing.

«We need to leverage all areas of dialogue to engage in preventive diplomacy to address conflicts within and between states.» (Mr Macky Sall)

Mr Sall stressed that the United Nations remains indispensable in a world facing multiple challenges and that it is important to build a UN that uses its resources wisely and its voice responsibly, a UN that delivers results. He said that out of the 40,000 mandates adopted by the UN since its creation, only 10% were implemented. In his introductory presentation, he mentioned the urgency of the climate vulnerabilities and of environmental threats facing our Planet. Mr Sall supported further work on climate financing, including through Just Energy Transition Partnerships, and added that climate funding for adaptation should become a reality, quoting also the creation of the Loss and Damage Fund. In response to Palau, on behalf of the Alliance for SIDS, and Solomon Islands, on behalf of the Pacific Island Forum, he said he understands very well the impacts of climate change on SIDS, which threaten their very existence, and that there should be international solidarity in this regard. Finally, he draw the attention to the role that Africa can play in the environmental transition.

Conclusion

In their positions so far, each of the four candidates to the position of UNSG has proven a distinct approach to leading the organization. However, most of them agreed that the next UNSG will play a critical role in defending the UN Charter and international law, as well as in restoring international confidence in the United Nations.

Regretfully, environmental concerns did not emerge as a priority, neither for the candidates, nor for Member States. While candidates had shown a general understanding of the issue, it is clearly not what will drive their agenda going forward. Similarly, only a handful of delegations raised climate issues in the interactive dialogues, in particular the ones that are most impacted by the problem.

Fortunately, the SIDS remain the moral compass of the world, when it comes tackling the environmental crisis. During the discussions, they stressed the extraordinary challenges posed by climate change to security, making it obvious that the issue should be high on the international agenda. It remains to be seen if their voices will be heard by the next UNSG and whether s(he) will rise to the expectations and champion climate action and ambition, just as the climate emergency requires it.

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(1) Bussard Stéphane and Koller Frédéric, The election of the next UN Secretary General: a referendum on multilateralism, Geneva Solutions, 23 April 2026, at https://genevasolutions.news/global-news/the-election-of-a-new-un-secretary-general-a-referendum-on-multilateralism

(2) See, for example, Malcorra Susana and Yusuf Nudhara, In the race for UN Secretary-General, might a woman finally lead?, Just Security, 18 March 2026, at https://www.justsecurity.org/133319/un-secretary-general-candidates-women/

(3) Jefford Kashmir, Running for the UN’s top job: a process riddled with pitfalls, Geneva Solutions, 18 April 2026, at https://genevasolutions.news/global-news/running-for-the-un-s-top-job-a-process-riddled-with-pitfalls

(4) Letter of UN General Assembly President to UN Member States, 25 November 2025, at https://www.un.org/sg/sites/default/files/document/2025-11/pga-psc-joint-letter-2025-2026.pdf

(5) UN General Assembly resolution 79/327 on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly, 5 September 2025, at https://docs.un.org/en/A/RES/79/327

(6) Letters of the UN General Assembly President to UN Member States, 14 January 2026, 4 March 2026, 2 April 2026, 15 April 2026, at

https://www.un.org/pga/80/2026/01/14/letter-from-the-president-of-the-general-assembly-on-the-communication-of-dates-for-webcast-interactive-dialogues-with-candidates-for-the-position-of-secretary-general/ ; https://www.un.org/pga/80/2026/03/04/letter-from-the-president-of-the-general-assembly-on-modalities-for-webcast-interactive-dialogues-with-candidates-for-the-position-of-secretary-general/ ; https://www.un.org/pga/80/2026/04/02/letter-from-the-president-of-the-general-assembly-on-timetable-for-webcast-interactive-dialogues-with-candidates-for-the-position-of-secretary-general/ ; https://www.un.org/pga/80/2026/04/15/letter-from-the-president-of-the-general-assembly-on-the-additional-information-for-webcast-interactive-dialogues-with-candidates-for-the-position-of-secretary-general/