Teresa Ribera, Vice President of the European Commission, announced her support for the election of a woman as UN Secretary-General on Wednesday in the history of this organization. In her post on BlueSky, she wrote, "I am ready to see a woman lead the United Nations." These remarks come as speculation increases about the successor to Antonio Guterres, the current Secretary-General, who will step down at the end of December after completing his five-year term.
Potential Candidates for UN Secretary-General
The successor to Guterres is set to begin work on January 1, 2027. Currently, four women are among the seven candidates to succeed Guterres: Rebecca Greenspan from Costa Rica, Caroline Rodriguez-Birch from Guyana, Ivana A-Baki, and Maria Fernanda Espinosa from Ecuador. Greenspan is at the top of the latest unofficial poll by the Security Council. Other candidates include Rafael Grossi from Argentina, Macky Sall from Senegal, and Olara Otunnu from Uganda. Interestingly, all nine previous UN Secretaries-General have been men.
Support from Officials for the Election of a Woman
Ribera's support for the election of a woman comes as Pedro Sanchez, the Prime Minister of Spain, also stated on the podcast of American comedian Jon Stewart on Wednesday that "after 80 years of this multilateral order, I think it is important and fair for a woman, the first woman, to be elected as UN Secretary-General." Sanchez also described himself as a "feminist politician."
This competition is taking place as Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has exerted pressure on the UN to reconsider its funding and structure. Trump has informally mentioned the name of Gianni Infantino, the President of FIFA, for this position, although the United States has not yet officially nominated him. The next UN Secretary-General will face financial challenges and pressure to reconsider the organization's structure. The U.S. State Department has stated that candidates must "return the UN to its core principles and commit to the necessary changes."
Mike Waltz, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, said on Sunday: "The United States is not stepping away from the UN, we are not turning off the lights, but we are calling for reforms." According to UN rules, the Security Council must propose a candidate with at least nine votes and without a veto from its five permanent members for the General Assembly to appoint the next Secretary-General.
