UN Security Council Concludes Informal Talks with Secretary‑General Candidates

The United Nations Security Council completed a series of informal dialogues with three candidates for the next Secretary‑General of the UN. The meetings, held on 7–9 July 2026 in Washington, featured former Senegal President Macky Sall, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi, and former Guyana Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues‑Birkett. A fourth candidate, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, is slated to meet the Council on 27 July.

The Council will forward its recommendation to the UN General Assembly, which has scheduled an open debate among all six officially registered candidates for 23 July 2026 in the General Assembly Hall in New York. UNGA President Annalena Baerbock announced the debate and noted that four of the six candidates are women from Latin America and the Caribbean. The newly elected Secretary‑General will begin a five‑year term on 1 January 2027.