Rebeca Grynspan Leads Opening UN Secretary-General Straw Poll

Costa Rican diplomat Rebeca Grynspan has taken an early lead in the contest to become the next United Nations secretary-general after receiving 10 encouraging votes in a first secret straw poll of the Security Council.

The poll asked the council’s five permanent and 10 elected members whether they encouraged, discouraged or had no opinion on each of seven candidates. Grynspan received 10 “encourage” votes, four “no opinion” votes and one “discourage” vote. The country casting the discouraging vote was not disclosed.

Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s former UN ambassador, placed next with nine encouraging votes, two discouraging votes and four expressions of no opinion.

Grynspan currently heads the UN Conference on Trade and Development and previously served as Costa Rica’s vice-president. If selected, she would become the first woman to lead the United Nations.

The result is preliminary. A successful candidate ultimately needs at least nine Security Council votes and no veto from any of its five permanent members. The council then recommends one candidate for endorsement by the 193-member General Assembly.

The process is expected to conclude by the end of 2026. António Guterres is due to finish his second term on December 31, 2026, and the informal regional rotation makes a candidate from Latin America the expected choice.