UN launches interactive dialogues with candidates for next Secretary-General

NEW YORK, 16th April, 2026 (WAM) — The United Nations will launch, starting next Tuesday and over two days, a series of interactive dialogues with candidates for the position of the next UN Secretary-General.

The dialogues are part of reforms adopted by the international organisation in recent years to make the selection process more open and inclusive, after it had traditionally been conducted behind closed doors.

In an official statement issued today, President of the United Nations General Assembly Annalena Baerbock described the interactive dialogue process as a decisive step in shaping the future leadership of the organisation amid unprecedented global challenges.

She pledged to organise an unprecedented interactive process ten years after the last selection that led to the appointment of António Guterres, whose term will end at the close of the current year.

Baerbock stressed that the world needs strong and effective leadership at a time when the principles of the UN Charter are under increasing pressure, noting that the next Secretary-General will play a critical role not only in addressing political and financial challenges, but also in advancing fundamental reforms to ensure the organisation’s readiness for the future.

She also outlined details of the interactive dialogue programme, noting that each session will last three hours per candidate, beginning with a ten-minute opening statement, followed by questions from member states and civil society representatives, allowing assessment of their leadership capabilities and readiness to assume responsibility.

The morning and afternoon sessions next Tuesday will be dedicated to candidates Michelle Bachelet and Rafael Mariano Grossi respectively, while Wednesday’s sessions will feature candidates Rebeca Grynspan and Macky Sall.

The sessions are expected to continue in the coming period ahead of submitting final recommendations to the UN Security Council, which will in turn nominate one or more candidates to the General Assembly for final approval of the new Secretary-General.