Female candidates lead momentum as UNSC holds second straw poll for next Secretary-General

The UN Security Council convened on Friday for its second informal straw poll to select the next Secretary-General, amidst unprecedented diplomatic momentum to elect the first female leader in the organization's 81-year history.

Female diplomats currently dominate the field of official contenders seeking to succeed António Guterres when his second term expires on December 31, 2026.

Why is there a strong push to elect the first female UN Secretary-General?

Since the founding of the United Nations in 1945, all nine Secretaries-General have been men. International civil society groups, regional coalitions, and member states have mounted an organized diplomatic effort urging the 15-member Security Council to break with historical precedent and recommend a woman for the top diplomatic post.

The joint letter formally opening the selection process explicitly urged governments to nominate female candidates. Non-binding preference surveys conducted among UN diplomats and civil society organizations showed female contenders securing the vast majority of support, reflecting a broad consensus across the General Assembly for a historic appointment.

Analysis published by the American Security Project notes that the selection cycle aligns with the unwritten rule of regional rotation favoring Latin America and the Caribbean, where the majority of high-profile female candidates originate.

Who are the leading female candidates in the Security Council straw polls?

Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), established an early lead in Security Council straw polling, securing ten "encourage" votes from member states.

Grynspan is followed closely by Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana's Permanent Representative to the UN, who placed second with nine "encourage" votes.

Other prominent women vying for the position include former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, former Ecuadorian Foreign Minister María Fernanda Espinosa, and former Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne A-Baki. Legal and diplomatic observers at GWL Voices emphasized that female nominees possess significant executive and multilateral experience, leaving the Security Council well-positioned to finalize a landmark nomination.