UN chief of staff race led by Latin American women, Grynspan tops straw poll

As Secretary‑General António Guterres prepares to leave office, the United Nations is selecting a new chief of staff. Six candidates are in the running, four of them Latin American women: former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, ex‑Ecuadorian foreign minister María Fernanda Espinosa, Costa Rica’s former vice‑president Rebeca Grynspan, and Guyana’s former foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues‑Birkett. The two male contenders are Argentina’s International Atomic Energy Agency director Rafael Grossi and Senegal’s former president Macky Sall.

A straw poll conducted by the UN Security Council shows Grynspan leading with ten supporting votes, followed by Rodrigues‑Birkett with nine and Grossi with seven. The race is historic because a woman could become the first female chief of staff in the UN’s history, a development highlighted by gender‑equality advocates and the “1 for 8 Billion” campaign. The outcome is expected to influence ongoing calls for reform of the organization’s bureaucracy and its response to global challenges.