United Nations Secretary General

April 21, 2026 1:07 PM

Explainer: Who are the candidates running for UN secretary-general?

The 10th United Nations secretary-general will be elected this year for a five-year term starting on January 1, 2027. Here are the candidates so far running to take over from outgoing U.N. chief Antonio Guterres. RAFAEL GROSSI Rafael Grossi, a 65-year-old career diplomat from Argentina, has been an omnipresent, hyperactive director general of the U.N. nuclear watchdog for the past six years. While the International Atomic Energy Agency has long policed Iran's nuclear programme, Grossi led ne...

February 24, 2026 3:47 PM

UN General Assembly chief calls for US to pay fees in full

The head of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday urged top contributor the United States to pay its fees in full after Washington made only a partial payment to the global body, amounting to less than 5% of the total amount owed. The United States has paid about $160 million of the more than $4 billion it owes to the U.N., a United Nations spokesperson said last week, after Reuters reported that an initial payment was pending. United Nations Secretary-General has warned the body face...

January 15, 2026 10:49 PM

How will the next UN chief be chosen and who wants the job?

A new United Nations secretary-general will be elected this year for a five-year term starting on January 1, 2027. The president of the 193-member General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, asked countries on Wednesday to nominate candidates by April 1, so they are able to take part in so-called interactive dialogues the week of April 20, which will be broadcast online. At these meetings candidates will be able to present their vision statement and U.N. member states will be able to ask questions. ...

September 16, 2024 6:34 PM

PM Modi meets UN chief Guterres at G7 summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Italy on the sidelines of the G7 Summit here on Friday night. https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1801667581155361262 In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Pleased to meet the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, in Italy." Earlier, PM Modi also met with US President Joe Biden and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. In a post on X, PM Modi expressed pleasure and wrote that it...