Grynspan strengthens lead in fourth straw poll
The Security Council conducted its fourth straw poll of candidates to become the next Secretary-General. Rebeca Grynspan strengthened her position as the frontrunner having increased her total “encourage” votes from 9 to 10 since the previous poll.
As world leaders gathered in New York for the opening week of the UN General Assembly, 1 for 8 Billion and the Government of Estonia convened a side event to discuss the decisive phase of the UN Secretary-General selection process on 22 September 2026.
Based on historical precedents as well as the latest developments in the Secretary-General selection process, this briefing maps out and analyses the different options available should the Security-Council be unable to make a viable recommendation.
Grynspan and Rodrigues Birkett continue to hold the top two spots in the latest straw poll, while Grossi slips to fourth place behind Otunnu.
Our partnership with 15 leading NGOs to scrutinize the policies of each candidate continues with the release of policy analyses of Ivonne A-Baki and Olara Otunnu.
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Our reform recommendations for states in the General Assembly
1 for 8 Billion's five priorities for the selection process
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The Security Council conducted its fifth straw poll of Secretary-General candidates today, but the results did not indicate that the Security Council has reached strong agreement on any candidate.