Russia and several of its allies, including member states of the BRICS bloc, have begun consultations and coordination ahead of the upcoming election of the 10th Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The move was disclosed after Kirill Logvinov, Director of Russia’s Department of International Organisations, met with representatives of Moscow’s partner countries to discuss the selection process and criteria for the next UN chief.
According to Russian officials, the next Secretary-General must strictly adhere to the principles of the UN Charter, maintain political neutrality and promote a unifying global agenda. Moscow also stressed the need to address what it described as the dominance of Western officials within the UN Secretariat.
Diplomats from BRICS member states and other partner countries agreed during the meeting to strengthen collaboration in the selection process to ensure that the interests of countries in the Global South and East are adequately represented.
Officials from the participating states are expected to attend interactive dialogues with candidates, scheduled to begin on April 21 at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Several prominent international figures have already emerged as contenders for the top UN position. They include former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, and Rafael Grossi of Argentina, the current Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Other candidates are Virginia Gamba of Argentina, who served as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict from 2017 to 2025, and Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The election process involves nominations, informal dialogues with candidates, and eventual recommendations by the UN Security Council, which will then be submitted to the UN General Assembly for final approval.
The selection of the next UN Secretary-General is expected to be concluded by late 2026.
The current UN chief, António Guterres, will complete his second term on December 31, 2026. Guterres, who assumed office in January 2017, previously served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015 and was Prime Minister of Portugal between 1995 and 2002.
Copyright © EaglesWatchOnline 2023 All rights reserved.
This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without written permission from EaglesWatchOnline.
