Rebeca Grynspan Emerges as Frontrunner to Become UN’s First Female Secretary-General
Costa Rican diplomat Rebeca Grynspan has emerged as the leading candidate to become the United Nations’ first female secretary-general, with reports suggesting she has the tacit backing of the incumbent, António Guterres.
Guterres is due to complete his second five-year term on December 31, 2026. Under the UN’s informal regional rotation system, the next secretary-general is expected to come from Latin America.
Grynspan, a former vice-president of Costa Rica, currently heads the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). She is also the daughter of Jewish refugees who fled Poland following the Holocaust, with her maternal grandparents killed by the Nazis.
Her candidacy gained significant momentum after a confidential preliminary poll by the UN Security Council. The five permanent and 10 elected members were asked to indicate whether they encouraged, discouraged or had no opinion on seven candidates.
Grynspan received 10 “encourage” votes, four “no opinion” votes and only one “discourage” vote, putting her in a strong early position ahead of the next stages of the selection process.
Her closest rival is Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s former UN ambassador, who secured nine “encourage” votes, two “discourage” votes and four “no opinion” votes.
A Western diplomat described Grynspan as a continuity candidate who is believed to have Guterres’ tacit support, but warned that the source of opposition to her candidacy could determine whether the process eventually reaches a deadlock.
The selection comes at a challenging time for the UN, which is facing major job cuts and questions over the organisation’s influence in global diplomacy. The secretary-general’s traditional role as a mediator has also increasingly been challenged by other international actors.
If elected, Grynspan would become the UN’s first female secretary-general and its first Jewish secretary-general.
Grynspan has spoken publicly about her Jewish heritage and the importance of peace, citing her parents’ experience as refugees during the Second World War.
“Peace is what made it possible for my parents, two refugees from the second world war, to find respect and dignity in a small country, Costa Rica,” she told the UN General Assembly.
Despite her background, UNCTAD under Grynspan has produced detailed reports documenting the economic impact of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.
A February 2026 report by the organisation estimated that the Palestinian economy lost $212.2 billion between 2000 and 2024 as a result of the economic effects of occupation policies, restrictions, closures and recurring military operations.
Meanwhile, other contenders, including former Chilean president and former UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, are believed to face significant opposition from influential Security Council members.
The UN secretary-general is appointed after the Security Council recommends a candidate for endorsement by the 193-member General Assembly. A candidate must secure at least nine votes in the Security Council and avoid a veto from any of its five permanent members.
Further consultations and voting are expected in the coming months, with the new secretary-general required to be elected before the end of 2026.
