Overview
- The field, which locked in Wednesday when nominations closed, features Michelle Bachelet, Rafael Grossi, Rebeca Grynspan and Macky Sall.
- Two women are in the running for a job no woman has held, and Chile withdrew its support for Bachelet after José Antonio Kast became president.
- Mid-April will bring livestreamed presentations and Q&As for member states, followed by Security Council deliberations and a General Assembly vote.
- Many expect regional rotation to favor Latin America this round, leaving Senegal’s Sall as the only non-Latin American candidate and at a potential disadvantage.
- Guterres has ordered roughly a 15% budget cut and nearly a 20% staff reduction for 2026, a squeeze that could curb peacekeeping, humanitarian work and planned reforms.