Rebecca Greenspan is leading the race for the position of UN Secretary-General
Costa Rican diplomat and former Vice President Rebeca Greenspan has emerged as the frontrunner in the race for the position of UN Secretary-General. If elected, she will become the first woman to hold this position, according to The Guardian.
During the first closed, informal poll in the UN Security Council, Greenspan received 10 “encouragement” votes, four “no opinion” votes, and one “not encouraged” vote. The poll involved five permanent and 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council, who evaluated seven candidates. It has not been disclosed who cast the “not encouraged” vote for Greenspan.
The Costa Rican’s closest rival is former Guyanese representative to the UN Carolyn Rodriguez-Berketti. She received nine “encourage” votes, two “do not encourage” votes, and four “no opinion” votes. According to the publication, a Western diplomat called Greenspan the frontrunner and stated that she has the tacit support of current UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
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Guterres’s second term ends on December 31, 2026. Under an informal principle of regional rotation, his successor is expected to come from Latin America. According to The Guardian, the selection process is likely to conclude in October.
For the Security Council to recommend a candidate, at least nine affirmative votes are required, and there must be no vetoes from the body’s permanent members. Afterward, the UN General Assembly will be asked to approve a single candidate. The new Secretary-General is to be elected by the end of the year.
Greenspan currently heads the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Her parents moved to Central America from Poland as Holocaust refugees, and her maternal grandparents were killed by the Nazis. If elected, she will also become the first Jewish UN Secretary-General.
