The United Nations has begun the search for a new Secretary-General as Antonio Guterres approaches the end of his term, with the organisation's leading candidates so far struggling to secure the backing required to succeed him.
The race to lead the world body is under way in New York, where member states are weighing who should take charge of the UN at a time of intense international pressure. Reporting from the UN headquarters, correspondent Jessica Le Masurier said the front-runners have yet to gather the support needed to emerge as a clear successor to Guterres.
The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council, a process that gives the council's five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — decisive influence over the outcome. That structure means any candidate must navigate the competing priorities of the major powers as well as the wider membership.
For small island states such as the Commonwealth of Dominica, the choice matters. The UN is a central forum where countries with limited diplomatic weight press their case on climate change, development finance and ocean protection, and the Secretary-General sets the tone for how forcefully those issues are pursued.
Guterres has used his tenure to push climate action and to draw attention to the vulnerability of small island developing states, repeatedly urging richer nations to honour their commitments on emissions cuts and climate finance. Caribbean governments have engaged closely with the UN on those questions, including through the Alliance of Small Island States.
The search comes as the UN faces sustained scrutiny over its effectiveness in conflicts and crises around the world, and as member states debate reform of the Security Council and of the organisation's wider machinery. Those debates are likely to shape the questions put to candidates in the months ahead.
No timetable for a decision has been announced in the reporting, and the field of candidates remains unsettled. The process is expected to continue in New York as member states consult on a replacement capable of commanding support in both the Security Council and the General Assembly.
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