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Rebeca Grynspan Leads UN Security Council Poll for Next SG

By Drooid · Sep 30, 2026, 10:10 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Grynspan Leads UN Poll

Rebeca Grynspan, former Vice President of Costa Rica, leads the UN Security Council informal poll for the next Secretary-General.
In the fourth poll on September 29, 2026, Grynspan earned 10 encourage, three discourage, and two no-opinion votes.
Guyana’s UN ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett placed second with eight encourage, six discourage, and one no-opinion vote.
The race features seven candidates—four women and three men—including IAEA chief Rafael Grossi and Senegal’s Macky Sall.

Summary

Greece Chairs Council

Minh-Thu Pham says the United States resists Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett because of perceived closeness to China and Gaza stance.
Pham notes Russian diplomats oppose Rafael Grossi, citing concerns over his nuclear watchdog role and Argentina’s Falklands rhetoric.
Greece will chair the Security Council in October, overseeing the transition to colour-coded ballots that reveal permanent-member vetoes.
The UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week let candidates lobby diplomats, though no clear support shifts were reported.

History

Historical Context

In the 2016 UN chief race, the 15-member Security Council gave António Guterres 13 “encourage” votes and two abstentions before the General Assembly appointed him by acclamation on 13 October 2016, illustrating the P5’s veto power under Article 97. Today, candidates Rebeca Grynspan, Rafael Grossi and Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett face similar P5 scrutiny in the informal poll.

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Grynspan Leads UN Poll

Rebeca Grynspan, former Vice President of Costa Rica, leads the UN Security Council informal poll for the next Secretary-General.
In the fourth poll on September 29, 2026, Grynspan earned 10 encourage, three discourage, and two no-opinion votes.
Guyana’s UN ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett placed second with eight encourage, six discourage, and one no-opinion vote.
The race features seven candidates—four women and three men—including IAEA chief Rafael Grossi and Senegal’s Macky Sall.

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