# UN Secretary-General leadership selection process

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/un-secretary-general-leadership-selection-process
> Updated: 2026-08-20T22:15:55.000Z. Sources: 23. Developments: 2.

Annalena Baerbock, the outgoing President of the United Nations General Assembly, has advocated for a female successor to António Guterres as UN Secretary-General, stating it is ‘time for a woman’ to lead the organization. The selection process currently involves candidates including former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and IAEA Director Rafael Grossi.

As the process continues, Baerbock has faced diplomatic pushback. The United States and Russia have criticized her involvement, accusing her of overstepping her authority and interfering with the competencies of the UN Security Council. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia expressed concern over the role Baerbock is attempting to assume, while US Ambassador Jennifer Locetta accused her of hypocrisy and described her actions as ‘irresponsible.’

The friction stems from Baerbock’s efforts to implement a ‘transparent, inclusive, structured, timely and credible’ selection process. This includes organizing public inquiries of the candidates and, for the first time, allowing the audience to vote on candidates. Specifically, US Ambassador Locetta criticized a public poll of candidates organized by Baerbock on July 23, describing the approach as ‘unprecedented, non-transparent, and unfair.’

While Baerbock has requested that the Security Council consider only those who participated in dialogues with the General Assembly, the Security Council maintains primary responsibility for recommending a candidate through secret ballots. The number of candidates vying to succeed Guterres, whose term concludes on December 31, has grown to eight.

## Claims

- Russia expressed concern regarding the role Annalena Baerbock is attempting to assume during the UN Secretary-General selection process. (corroborated by 16 sources)
- Annalena Baerbock stated she is advocating for a selection process that is transparent, inclusive, structured, timely, and credible. (corroborated by 16 sources)
- The UN Security Council is responsible for recommending a candidate for Secretary-General through secret ballots. (corroborated by 16 sources)
- António Guterres's term as UN Secretary-General ends on December 31. (corroborated by 16 sources)
- US Ambassador Jennifer Locetta criticized Baerbock's public poll of candidates as unprecedented, non-transparent, and unfair. (corroborated by 14 sources)
- There are currently eight candidates competing for the position of UN Secretary-General. (corroborated by 14 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-08-20: Annalena Baerbock faces US and Russian criticism over UN selection process

The US and Russia have accused UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock of overstepping her authority during the selection process for the next UN Secretary-General.

23 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-and-russia-criticize-annalena-baerbock-over-un-leadership-selection

### 2026-07-28: Annalena Baerbock urges appointment of a woman as UN Secretary‑General

Annalena Baerbock, UNGA President, calls for a woman to replace António Guterres as Secretary‑General, cites gender parity, notes Latin America’s turn, and references a US‑France Security Council row.

12 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/annalena-baerbock-calls-for-a-woman-un-secretarygeneral

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Cite as: UN Secretary-General leadership selection process. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/un-secretary-general-leadership-selection-process