The United Nations is heading toward a major transition this fall. The Security Council is currently preparing to elect a new secretary-general. This high-stakes contest comes at a time when the organization is fighting for its own relevancy while navigating a difficult economic crisis. It’s the first time in 10 years that the U.N. will see a change of the guard, moving on from the tenure of Portugal’s António Guterres.
According to The Hill, Richard Gowan, the program director of Global Issues and Institutions for the International Crisis Group, claimed, “This is actually quite an existentially significant process for the U.N.” He noted, “If we get a good U.N. leader, they will still be facing an uphill battle to deal with all the financial, political problems. But maybe they can at least stabilize the organization. If we get a weak leader, then that’s going to make the U.N.’s drift worse.”
