Why It Matters

The race to choose the next U.N. secretary-general is underway, with eight candidates competing for a position that gives its holder a prominent diplomatic role in global conflicts and international affairs. The U.S. holds significant influence over the outcome through its veto power on the U.N. Security Council, while the Trump administration has signaled that it wants the next leader to refocus the organization on international peace and security, accountability and state sovereignty.

António Guterres's second five-year term as U.N. secretary-general expires Dec. 31. The stakes are high for the U.S., which has historically wielded its veto power to block candidates deemed misaligned with U.S. interests.

Congress's formal role in the appointment remains limited by the U.N. Participation Act of 1945. Trump administration officials have stated that the next secretary-general should reject initiatives falling outside the U.N. Charter's founding purpose, prioritize accountability and transparency, respect state sovereignty and bring the U.N. back to basics.

The Big Picture

The U.N. Security Council recommends a candidate for secretary-general, and the U.N. General Assembly formally appoints that person through a process rooted in Article 97 of the U.N. Charter. A Security Council recommendation requires at least seven affirmative votes, including the support of all five permanent members. The General Assembly has never challenged a Security Council recommendation.

Eight candidates remain under consideration as of September 1. Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett of Guyana received the most "encourage" votes in the August Security Council straw poll, while Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis of Costa Rica led the July straw poll. Other candidates include Ivonne A-Baki and María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés of Ecuador, Michelle Bachelet Jeria of Chile, Rafael Mariano Grossi of Argentina, Macky Sall of Senegal and Olara Otunnu of Uganda.

The formal selection process began on November 25, 2025, when the presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council invited member states to submit nominations. No woman has ever served as U.N. secretary-general, though the General Assembly passed a resolution in 2025 encouraging member states to strongly consider nominating women as candidates.

Congress enacted legislation in 2016 stating that U.S. policy is to withhold support from any secretary-general candidate unless the candidate has produced and circulated to General Assembly member states a clear vision for leading the U.N., including a robust reform agenda. The Trump administration has withheld some U.S. payments to both the U.N. regular budget and U.N. peacekeeping operations.

The Bottom Line

The selection of the next secretary-general gives the U.S. significant leverage over the future direction of the U.N. Although Congress has little formal role in choosing the organization's leader, existing U.S. law calls for withholding support from candidates without a clear reform agenda, while the Trump administration has signaled that it wants a secretary-general focused on the U.N.'s core peace and security mission, accountability, transparency and state sovereignty.

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