For the first time, a woman from Latin America and Caribbean could assume the highest office in the multilateral system. The 2027 succession for UN Secretary-General coincides with the informal regional rotation, and it is expected that a woman will lead the organization.
Formal Selection Process
The UN Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the Security Council’s recommendation for a five-year term, renewable once. The process has become more transparent since reforms were introduced in 2016, with formal nominations and candidates’ resumes, vision statements, and informal public dialogues. There is also a more structured timetable, financial transparency, and engagement from civil society.
The Security Council selects a nominee (9 of 15 votes are needed), and the five permanent members hold veto power. The Council’s recommendation is then presented to the General Assembly, which must ratify it by a two-thirds majority. The current Secretary-General, António Guterres from Portugal, will complete his mandate on 31 December 2026, leaving a unique opportunity for a new candidate.
Power Plays and Regional Rotation
Political negotiation and lobbying play a decisive role, particularly the ability of a candidate’s home country to secure support. Although not formally established in the UN Charter, there is a longstanding but unwritten practice of regional rotation among the world’s major regional groups. If this tradition is maintained, 2027 would correspond to the turn again of the Latin American and Caribbean group. Europe has held the position four times with Lie (Norwegian), Hammarskjöld (Swedish), Waldheim (Austrian), and Guetteres (Portuguese); Asia twice with Thant (Burmese) and Ki-moon (South Korean); Africa and the Middle East twice with Boutros-Ghali (Egyptian) and Annan (Ghanaian); and Latin America only once with Pérez Cuéllar (Peruvian).
Given the region’s geopolitics, a Secretary-General from Latin America could offer balanced leadership, maintaining impartiality amid the world’s current tensions. Latin American leadership at the UN is known for its strong commitment to global justice, dialogue, and peaceful resolutions of conflicts. Due to its middle-income status, the region can serve as a bridge between developed and developing nations. Pérez de Cuéllar served as the fifth UN Secretary-General, and his mandate was characterized by brokering the end of the Iran-Iraq war and the release of US hostages in Lebanon.
Rising “Candidatas”
The current pool of potential female candidates offers strong executive and multilateral credentials. Some options include Alicia Bárcena (Mexico’s Environment Minister and former Executive Secretary of the UN ECLAC), María Fernanda Espinosa (former Foreign Minister of Ecuador and President of the UN General Assembly), Mia Mottley (Prime Minister of Barbados and a global advocate for climate finance), Michelle Bachelet (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and former President of Chile), and Rebeca Grynspan (Secretary-General of UNCTAD and former Vice President of Costa Rica).
To advance their candidacies, governments will need to activate their diplomatic alliances across Asia, Africa and Western countries. Chile is likely to draw on its OECD profile and CPTPP ties, where Bachelet is viewed as a stabilizing figure. Mexico, also in CPTPP and OECD, could further capitalize on its G20 membership and North American partnerships to elevate Bárcena. Barbados may rely on CARICOM, small island states, and the G77, positioning Mottley as the Global South’s reform voice.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Multilateralism
Gender equality in the selection of the UN Secretary-General was first mentioned in a 1997 General Assembly resolution. During the past selection process in 2015, the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council wrote a joint letter encouraging states to nominate women, resulting in seven female candidates out of thirteen.
At the most recent General Assembly, several member states including Slovenia, Chile, Denmark, and Mexico reiterated the need for a female Secretary-General in the upcoming election. Civil society has advocated for gender equality through campaigns such as “Madam Secretary-General”. Selecting a female UN Secretary-General would be in line with the UN’s own global commitment to gender equality as driven by SDG 5 and UN Women.
A New Chapter for the UN
A Latin American woman could therefore lead a period of transformation at the United Nations, addressing its main challenges such as reductions in contributions from major donors and governance issues within the Security Council. A female leader from Latin America and the Caribbean could therefore bring greater inclusivity and representativeness, giving life to the ideals upon which the UN was founded in 1945: explicitly stating in the Charter’s preamble that men and women have equal rights. Such leadership is long overdue in a world where fewer than 15% of nations are currently led by women.
