UN Secretary-General Selection 2026

UN Secretary-General Selection 2026

The selection process for the next United Nations Secretary-General is taking place throughout 2026, as António Guterres's second term concludes on December 31, 2026.

Rather than a single traditional election day, the appointment happens through a sequence of steps managed by the UN Security Council and the General Assembly:

• Informal Dialogues: Candidates participate in public town halls and dialogues with UN member states (which began taking place mid-year).
• Security Council Straw Polls: The Security Council holds confidential straw polls to gauge support for the candidates and test for potential vetoes from permanent members. These polls take place in the latter half of the year.
• Recommendation and Appointment: Once the Security Council narrows down the candidates and agrees on a recommendation, it forwards the name to the General Assembly, which formally appoints the new Secretary-General ahead of the term change at the end of December.

Selection, not election

Everyday citizens around the world don't cast ballots, it functions much more like a high-stakes diplomatic appointment than a public election.

The process heavily relies on the UN Security Council—specifically the five permanent members (the US, UK, France, Russia, and China)—who have immense influence and hold veto power over who gets put forward.Even though the UN has made recent efforts to make the process more open with public candidate dialogues and town halls, the final decision is ultimately an agreement made among governments behind closed doors rather than a UN General Assembly vote.