TASS FACTBOX. Public hearings for candidates for the post of UN Secretary-General will begin on April 21, 2026, during which they will present their programs. The election of a new Secretary-General is scheduled for July 2026. The term of Antonio Guterres, who has held the post since 2017, expires on December 31, 2026. Four candidates will participate in the hearings, which will be held via webcast. These are former President of Chile and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica), Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi (Argentina), and former President of Senegal Macky Sall. TASS FACTBOX editors have prepared an overview of the candidates for the post of UN Secretary-General and the gist of their programs.
Michelle Bachelet (Chile)
Michelle Bachelet (born 1951) studied medicine at the University of Chile. After Augusto Pinochet seized power in 1973 in a government coup, she emigrated to East Germany, where she continued her education at Humboldt University. After the fall of the dictatorship, she served as assistant to the deputy minister of health from 1994 to 1997. After completing specialized courses in national and continental defense at the National Academy of Political Studies (Chile) and the Inter-American Defense College (Washington, D.C.), in 1998 she took up the post of adviser in the Chilean Ministry of Defense. From 2000 to 2002, she served as minister of health. From 2002 to 2004, she led the Ministry of Defense, becoming the first woman in South America to hold such a position.
From 2006 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2018, Bachelet served as Chile’s president. She is the first woman in the country's history to hold the post. The main achievements of her government included social reforms, pension rises, and the introduction of free higher education.
From 2018 to 2022, she served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Michelle Bachelet speaks French, English, German, and Portuguese. She is the author of several articles on medical topics. In early February 2026, the Chilean administration, along with Mexico and Brazil, nominated her as a candidate for UN Secretary-General. However, in March, the incoming right-wing government of Chilean President Jose Antonio Casta announced it was withdrawing its support.
Program highlights
Bachelet believes that the UN needs institutional reform aimed at increasing the efficiency and coherence of its structures. This requires eliminating excessive bureaucracy and strengthening transparency and accountability.
Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica)
Rebeca Grynspan (born 1955) is an economist who graduated from the University of Costa Rica and the University of Sussex (the United Kingdom). Since the late 1980s, she has held several government positions, including deputy minister of finance, coordinating minister for economic and social affairs, and minister of housing. From 1994 to 1998, she served as the country’s second vice president.
From 2006 to 2010, she was regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), becoming Associate Administrator in 2010. From 2014 to 2021, she served as Secretary General of the Ibero-American Conference. In 2021, Grynspan joined the G20 High-Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. That same year, she assumed the post of secretary-general of the United Nations Trade and Development Organization (UNCTAD). Rebeca Grynspan is also a member of the International Labor Organization's Global Commission and the global forum of Women Political Leaders.
She speaks English, as well as French and Portuguese.
Program highlights
Rebeca Grynspan views the UN as a key instrument for conflict prevention, emphasizing that ensuring peace requires not only responding to crises but also addressing their root causes - inequality, economic instability, and state fragility. Grynspan also advocates for the modernization of the UN.
Rafael Grossi (Argentina)
Rafael Grossi (born 1961) graduated from the department of Political Science at the private Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina and the Institute of Foreign Service of Argentina. He holds a PhD in History and International Relations from the Geneva Graduate Institute (Switzerland).
From 1998 to 2001, he was Argentina's ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg and its representative to NATO. During those same years, he headed the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Conventional Weapons. From 2002 to 2007, he was Chief of Cabinet at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). From 2007 to 2009, he held senior positions in the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2010 to 2013, he was assistant director general and chief of cabinet at the IAEA, and from 2013 to 2019, he served as Argentina's ambassador to Austria, Slovenia, and Slovakia, and permanent representative to the International Organizations in Vienna.
In December 2019, Rafael Grossi assumed the post of Director General of the IAEA. He was re-elected for a second term in March 2023.
Grossi speaks French, English, German, and Dutch. He is the author of numerous articles and books on socio-political issues.
Program highlights
Rafael Grossi says the UN needs renewal. To improve the organization's effectiveness He proposes targeted reform, including improving coordination, eliminating duplication of functions, digitalizing operations, and aligning the UN structure with clearly defined objectives.
Macky Sall (Senegal)
Macky Sall (born 1961) is a geological engineer by profession (he studied in Senegal and France). He made his career at the national oil company Petrosen, serving as its CEO from 2000 to 2001. From 2000 to 2004, during the presidency of Abdoulaye Wade (in power from 2000 to 2012), he held the posts of minister of energy, mines, and water resources, and minister of the interior and local government. From 2004 to 2007, he was prime minister, and from 2007 to 2008, speaker of the lower house of parliament. In 2008, he won the 2012 elections, outperforming Wada in the runoff and was re-elected in 2019. During his presidency, Senegal was among the fastest-growing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Program highlights
As UN Secretary-General, he plans to work to increase trust in the organization and strengthen multilateralism, and to reform the Security Council to enhance its representativeness. The UN's key objectives include early conflict prevention, protecting vulnerable populations, increasing the transparency of its governance, and coordinating its activities with regional organizations.