UN Secretary-General Candidates Face Tough Interviews on Global Challenges Ahead of 2026 Succession Vote

Four candidates vying to become the next United Nations Secretary-General have spent hours being grilled about their views on global challenges, in what the U.N. General Assembly president described as one of the toughest job interviews in the world.

Michelle Bachelet, former Chilean president; Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency; Rebeca Grynspan, former Costa Rican vice president; and Macky Sall, president of Senegal, appeared before U.N. Ambassadors in informal dialogues and news conferences at U.N. Headquarters in New York over several days in April 2026.

The candidates addressed questions on restoring global peace, ending escalating poverty, reforming the United Nations system, and responding to humanitarian crises. Their appearances were part of an informal process to allow member states to assess potential successors to António Guterres, whose term ends on December 31, 2026.