In New York, Argentine Rafael Grossi undergoes intense scrutiny to be head of the UN

A 65-year-old career diplomat, Grossi gained global prominence when he assumed the leadership of the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2019, which is part of the United Nations system. From that position dealt with high profile global issuesil, such as Iran’s nuclear program or the dangers related to the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, occupied by Russian forces.

Grossi, who has recently been chosen by the magazine Time as one of the 100 most influential personalities of the year, tHe has the endorsement of the Argentine government for his candidacy.

For three hours, the Argentine will speak on Tuesday afternoon and will receive questions from representatives of the 193 members of the General Assembly about his plans for an eventual future mandate, which are based on the UN returning “to its founding bases: saving humanity from the scourge of war,” as expressed in his cover letter.

Grossi competes with three other candidates for the position: the former president of Chile Michelle Bachelet, which will be exhibited on Tuesday morning before Grossi; the UN trade chief, the Costa Rican Rebecca Grynspan, who will speak on Wednesday morning, and the last to appear will be the former president of Senegal Macky Sall.

The election of the UN leader involves a long process that will only take place in the second half of the year, with no specific date, with his appointment by the General Assembly, which includes all members.

But they must choose on the recommendation of the Security Council. That gives the five permanent members of the UN’s most powerful body—the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France— the decisive role and the power of veto regarding the selection, since if the candidate does not have the endorsement of all the members of the Council, his application does not advance to the Assembly.

Grossi has a good relationship with the permanent members of the Council. Beyond the aptitudes for the position, the close bond between President Donald Trump and Javier Milei contributes to strengthening your candidacy.

The next secretary general must be in tune with “American values ​​and interests”warned the US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz.

In the 2016 election, 13 candidates ran, including 7 women, amid intense pressure for For the first time, they elected a secretary to lead the organization. But Guterres ended up being the chosen one.

Now Bachelet and Grynspan aspire to be the pioneers, although the Chilean has lost the support of her own government when right-wing president José Antonio Kast took office. Bachelet continues with the momentum of Brazil and Mexico.

The climate now is very different from what it was 10 years ago.. At that time, the UN was finalizing the Paris Agreement climate pact to stop global warming and promoting the 2030 Agenda, a 17-point sustainable development plan to close the gap between rich and poor.

But Trump’s arrival at the Banking House marked a disdain for multilateralism, while the US moved away from these global pacts, with strong divisions in the countries due to the change in agenda. Meanwhile, the UN has failed to stop wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran, leaving the body without influence in global conflicts.

Grossi’s approach seeks precisely to rrecover the original role of the UN as a promoter of solutions to wars and presents itself as an “opener of doors between belligerent countries”, speaking even with countries that have threatened him with death, such as Iran.

By tradition, The position of general secretary rotates by region. Guterres, former Portuguese prime minister, succeeded former South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-moon and he followed Ghanaian Kofi Annan. Now it should be Latin America’s turn, so the chances of Bachelet, Grossi and Grynspan grow. Since the founding of the UN in 1945, the only Latin American secretary general was the Peruvian diplomat Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (1982-1991).