The General Assembly begins dialogue sessions with 4 candidates for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations

The United Nations General Assembly began today (Tuesday), over the course of two days, interactive dialogues with the four candidates for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations, whose term will begin for the next five years, succeeding the current Secretary-General, António Guterres, who has led the work of the international organization for two continuous terms since 2017, and whose current term ends on December 31, 2026.

Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly, explained that these dialogues, organized by the General Assembly and at its direct invitation, constitute an essential step towards ensuring a transparent and comprehensive selection process, as they will allow the candidates to present their visions and respond to questions from the 193 member states.

She said that choosing the new Secretary-General is not just an administrative decision, but rather a political message that reflects the United Nations’ orientations in facing the challenges of the twenty-first century, stressing that the next leader of the international organization will bear the responsibility of pushing fundamental reforms to ensure the ability of the organization, which was founded 80 years ago, to keep pace with current changes.

She added that the selection of the Secretary-General will determine the course of the international organization, and will prove whether the United Nations truly represents the more than eight billion people we serve around the world, half of whom are women and girls.

She pointed out that the interactive dialogues, which last three hours for each candidate, will provide an opportunity to evaluate their leadership capabilities and experiences in dealing with the three pillars of the work of the United Nations: peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development, stressing the interconnectedness of these axes in achieving a more just and stable world.

Today, the General Assembly held two interactive dialogue sessions, the first of which was held in the morning with candidate Michelle Bachelet from Chile, while the second session will be held with candidate Rafael Grossi from Argentina.

While the third and fourth dialogue sessions will be held tomorrow, respectively, with Rebecca Greenspan from Costa Rica and Mekki Sall from Senegal.

Each of these four interactive sessions will last for three hours, with each candidate starting with an opening statement not exceeding 10 minutes in which he introduces his ideas, concepts and theses for leading the international organization. After that, each candidate will answer the questions that will be posed to him by representatives of member states of the United Nations and representatives of civil society, with the aim of exploring his leadership skills and experiences in more depth.

This interactive dialogue is divided into two thematic axes, the first relates to the leadership capabilities, experiences, and skills possessed by the candidates to ensure the building of a strong and qualified organization to face the challenges of the future, and the second deals with the three pillars on which the United Nations is based, which are: peace and security, development, and human rights.