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UN humanitarian relief chief, Tom Fletcher, launching an aid partnership plan for Syria, April 2, 2026. The aid sector, rocked by the United States’ large cuts in donations to the industry in the last year, now wonder if the efficiency “reset” by the UN has been useful.

(Center for Human Rights and Policy Studies (CHRIPS) and Saferworld) Will candidates share a clear vision for how the position of Secretary-General can become a force for preventive diplomacy and mediation? Will candidates suggest new approaches to ensure that prevention is a priority for the entire UN system – not just in rhetoric but in practice? Will candidates propose changes to the UN architecture to strengthen prevention?

The Indian government deployed amphibious all-terrain vehicles to help UN peacekeepers in South Sudan navigate flooded terrain, July 2025. The UN Security Council will consider renewing the peacekeeping mission’s mandate in the African country this week, as civilians face risk of atrocities and need greater protection. Unfortunately, the renewal is not a done deal, the essayist writes.

Rebeca Grynspan at the World Economic Forum, Jan. 21, 2026, before she announced her candidacy for UN secretary-general, in March, and temporarily stepped down as head of the UN Trade and Development agency. The General Assembly asked nominees to consider doing so if they held jobs in the UN system to avoid a conflict of interest.

Carolyn Schwalger, left, New Zealand’s envoy to the UN, and Brian Wallace, Jamaica’s ambassador, co-chairs of the informal working group on the UN80 reform initiative, March 27, 2026. They recently led a General Assembly overhaul on UN mandate reviews. The essayist argues that while reform is important to keep the UN vitally relevant, a reinvention of its “political design” is more imperative for the world.

United States President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu after joint press conference announcing the US peace plan for Gaza, Sept. 29, 2025, at the White House.

The next UN leader may be a woman, the essayist writes, not because of progress in gender equality but because the UN “is entering a period of acute institutional crisis.” When organizations falter, “they appoint women.” A UN town hall with some secretary-general candidates in 2016. SCREEN GRAB/UNWEBTV The United Nations is planning to select a new leader this year. After 80 years and nine men in the job, diplomatic circles and  are calling for the next secretary-general to be a woman.