Center for Human Rights and Policy Studies (CHRIPS) and Saferworld

Summary

Grynspan prioritizes peacemaking and calls for strengthening prevention through greater human rights monitoring. She commits to restructuring the EOSG for active mediation. She believes the Secretary-General should impartially engage all conflict parties and strengthen dialogue with the Security Council.

Profile

Grynspan has placed prevention and mediation at the center of her candidacy, framing peacemaking as her top priority as Secretary-General. She has called for the Secretary-General to be present wherever violent conflict is developing, to speak to every conflict party regardless of political sensitivity and to persist even when progress appears out of reach. She has described Article 99 as a last resort, preferring constant Security Council engagement, including in informal sessions.

Her prevention vision involves creating small, agile, expert teams operating flexibly rather than through institutional hierarchy. She has drawn directly on her experience brokering the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative while Secretary-General of UNCTAD. Grynspan has emphasized that engaging all conflict parties, including politically difficult ones, is essential for access.

She has committed to specific structural reforms: restructuring the Executive Office of the Secretary-General on day one to create dedicated mediation capacity and merging DPPA and DPO planning functions. She has also proposed that she would attend informal UN Security Council consultations to speak candidly about emerging threats before formal processes begin and to meet with all SRSGs and special envoys immediately upon taking office to hear their field assessments to inform her thinking on reform.

On the human rights prevention nexus, she argued in the General Assembly dialogue that systematic human rights violations are the most reliable early-warning indicator of developing conflict, positioning human rights monitoring as the primary trigger for the Secretary-General's preventive engagement. She has not, however, committed to strengthening this nexus with any new structural reforms or actions. She has highlighted transnational organized crime explicitly as a peace and security issue rather than merely a law enforcement matter, recalling its impact in Latin America. She has also linked youth unemployment to conflict instability as a long-cycle prevention investment, particularly for Africa.

Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) and International Peace Institute (IPI)

Summary

Grynspan commits to crafting a new vision for UN peace operations. She calls for streamlining mandates, adapting modalities case by case, operationalizing Resolution 2719 and integrating DPPA and DPO planning capacities. She has not directly addressed peacebuilding.

Profile

Grynspan has made durable peace and security her first priority as a candidate, committing to “crafting a new vision for UN peace operations… that works hand in hand with partners to prevent the escalation of violence, protect civilians, and create the conditions for peace and recovery.” She has warned against “Christmas tree” mandates that “spread resources and capacities too thin,” calling for greater communication with field presences to identify urgent priorities.

She has addressed new peacekeeping modalities in the context of Haiti's Gang Suppression Force, emphasizing the importance of adapting missions on a “case-by-case basis” and pointing to the UN presence in Haiti as an innovative model. She has committed to operationalizing Resolution 2719 as a priority, stressing that “the UN doesn’t have the monopoly of peace, and it doesn't have the monopoly of peacekeeping.” She has also proposed merging DPPA and DPO planning capacities to enable more flexible modalities.

On reform, she has said that she is aware of the ongoing peace operations review, but also wants to have her own perspective. To that end, she has proposed meeting with all SRSGs and special envoys immediately upon taking office as Secretary-General to inform her position.

Grynspan’s prior role at UNDP provided some exposure to peacekeeping contexts. For example, in a 2006 Security Council briefing, she advocated for strategic alignment between MINUSTAH and the UN country team on police reform, DDR and justice sector reform. Grynspan has also suggested that she would leverage her experience as a finance minister for Costa Rica and UNDP associate administrator to re-engage major donor countries and mobilize resources, including for peace operations.

As a candidate, Grynspan has not discussed peacebuilding as a substantive agenda, though her vision statement mentions data-driven early warning systems, AI-assisted risk analysis and the role of the private sector in reconstruction.

ODI Global

Summary

Grynspan pushes back against politicization and weaponization of humanitarian space and aid. She supports greater aid financing as well as greater localization and centering local actors. She emphasizes dialogue with parties to conflict and other stakeholders as a protection approach.

Profile

Grynspan’s approach is grounded in the UN Charter and compliance with international law. She has emphasized the importance of early engagement, mediation, preventive diplomacy and protection of civilians. She supports dialogue and engagement with all stakeholders, including parties to conflict. She has often framed her responses to peace and security questions around people affected by crises. As a child of refugees, Grynspan has acknowledged the complexities of migration and displacement, and the need to protect the rights of migrants in accordance with the Global Compact.

Grynspan has also acknowledged the multifaceted nature of humanitarian crises and the need for a more unified UN response. She has called for a faster, more streamlined and more agile UN that avoids duplication and unhealthy competition between agencies. In line with the localization movement, she has highlighted that a key element of humanitarian reform is greater partnerships with local organizations and centering local actors in humanitarian response.

Grynspan has asserted the need to push back on the politicization of humanitarian space and weaponization of humanitarian aid. She has acknowledged the need for greater financing for humanitarian action including through more diverse sources, and for resources to go to aid rather than administration. She has called attention to the scale of attacks against humanitarians and called for the protection of humanitarian aid workers and civilians. On access, when asked about the Gaza conflict, she has called for the full implementation of Resolution 2830 and said the UN must do what it can to support the ceasefire and ensure UN humanitarian agencies have unrestricted access to Gaza.

While Grynspan’s background is largely trade and development focused, as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of UNDP, she coordinated “crisis countries”’ that include Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan with program oversight, financial management, institutional governance and coordination with member states and UN entities.

Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Southern Voice

Summary

Grynspan advocates for demand-driven, country-led implementation and financial reforms to alleviate debt burdens and climate vulnerability. She emphasizes operational efficiency and increased representation for the Global South within UN governance structures.

Profile

Grynspan’s vision for development is centered on a transition from traditional, supply-driven methods toward a demand-driven model that prioritizes specific requirements defined by individual nations. Overall, her approach champions greater inclusivity and representation, and she has called for African states and other developing nations to serve as active participants in shaping global priorities rather than mere beneficiaries.

Expressing concern that only 18 percent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are currently on track, Grynspan has proposed that the primary effort for accelerating the 2030 Agenda must occur at the country level, supported by a system that coordinates international efforts around national priorities. This implementation-focused approach suggests that the primary obstacle to progress on the SDGs lies in operational inefficiencies rather than the need for new frameworks. Moreover, Grynspan has not articulated a vision for the post-2030 agenda including how global priorities might evolve.

A critical pillar of Grynspan’s strategy involves reforming the international financial architecture to address structural inequalities. She has highlighted the severe fiscal distress faced by 3.4 billion people living in countries where debt servicing costs exceed spending on essential services. To remedy this, she has advocated for strengthening international support by drawing on multilateral development banks, reducing borrowing costs, and mitigating risks to attract private investment.

Grynspan has also framed climate change as a multiplier of existing vulnerabilities, particularly for Small Island Developing States. She supports integrating multidimensional vulnerability metrics into development financing decisions to ensure that global resources are better aligned with the realities faced by climate-stressed nations.

On institutional reform, she has prioritized operational effectiveness and delivery over simple budgetary reductions, emphasizing reduced duplication and better system-wide coordination.

Although she acknowledges the growing significance of digital transformation and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, she has not addressed how they may shape development outcomes.

Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) and GQUAL Campaign

Summary

Grynspan commits to the Charter and international law. She frames human rights within peace and security, prioritizing prevention. She has not proposed measures to strengthen human rights accountability mechanisms or funding. She supports women’s rights, but has not made an explicit commitment to parity.

Profile

Grynspan’s candidacy has emphasized peace and security, with less emphasis on human rights. She has framed the UN Charter as the foundation of her approach, underscoring shared UN and member state responsibility to uphold international law and avoid double standards. She has highlighted the human rights framework, arguing that “a world where laws are violated is not the same as a world without laws,” since violations can be named and justice pursued. She has referenced the International Court of Justice and compliance with its decisions.

Grynspan has recognized the three pillars and the universality and indivisibility of human rights. Her references to human rights are primarily within peace and security: as early-warning indicators and as a basis for preventive diplomacy and protecting civilians. She has also underscored their inherent preventive value: “where rights are respected, conflicts decline.” At the General Assembly dialogues, she did not prioritize human rights in her responses; on Haiti, for example, she emphasized humanitarian and development needs without referring to human rights violations. She has not offered proposals to strengthen accountability mechanisms or commitments to protect or expand human rights funding.

She has highlighted women’s rights and committed to partnerships with civil society. She has pledged zero tolerance for sexual abuse. She did not answer questions on environmental rights and justice at the General Assembly dialogues, but addressed migrant rights, noting gaps in international legal frameworks for protection of migrants and displaced persons. She has not presented proposals on other human rights issues or affected populations.

On representation, Grynspan has emphasized transparent, merit-based and geographically balanced appointments, including linguistic diversity and selecting the “best” candidates, but omitted references to women or gender parity as criteria. She has referenced her experience achieving parity at the senior management level at UNCTAD.

CIVICUS and Transparency, Accountability and Participation (TAP) Network

Summary

Grynspan supports civil society partnership as a pragmatic necessity for the UN. She affirms women's rights as inseparable from peace. She offers little on wider human rights commitments, funding cuts and human rights alignment with SDG implementation.

Profile

On gender equality, Grynspan has presented a consistent and principled approach. Her vision statement frames the rights of women and girls as inseparable from peace and security, arguing that where rights are respected, conflicts decline, and where they are denied, grievances deepen and instability grows. In her General Assembly dialogue, she described women as central actors in transformation. She has committed to partnering with women’s organizations and has cited her internal record at UNCTAD, including achieving gender parity for the first time, as evidence of institutional leadership in this regard. However, she has not directly addressed the current wave of anti-gender backlash or rollback of reproductive rights, nor outlined specific mechanisms to counter regression.

On youth, her vision statement acknowledges a generation facing economic insecurity, climate disruption and declining prospects, and frames UN renewal as essential to restoring credibility. She has highlighted the UN Youth Office as an important entity, but has not provided more substantive responses on meaningful youth participation in decision-making.

Grynspan has framed partnership with civil society in pragmatic terms, arguing that civil society now has far greater capacity than in 1945 and the UN must learn to work with it rather than act alone. Her most concrete commitments focus on humanitarian action, including stronger partnerships with local actors and reforms to ensure funding reaches affected communities. However, she has not addressed shrinking civic space or civil society participation in intergovernmental processes, nor funding cuts of the human rights pillar, and she made no reference to the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) or Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agendas in her vision statement or at the General Assembly dialogues.

Plataforma CIPÓ and SHE Changes Climate

Summary

Grynspan has not prominently addressed climate. She acknowledges disproportionate impacts on vulnerable countries, the need for adaptation finance, and the need to assess vulnerability through measures that go beyond GDP.

Profile

Grynspan has touched on climate only lightly as a candidate for Secretary-General. In her vision statement, she references climate mostly indirectly. For example, as part of a broader discussion of global risks, she warns that “we are sleepwalking into dangerous climate change scenarios.” On the subject of emerging technologies and future development pathways, she states that “clean energy is growing faster than anyone predicted” and that “critical minerals are becoming as valuable as oil.”

Her opening remarks at the General Assembly dialogues similarly make no direct reference to climate change, but refer to those who worry about “this planet,” the “promise of clean technologies” and the fact that “the ocean that rises on one shore rises on every shore.”

Grynspan has offered more detail on climate impacts regarding disproportionate impacts on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Her vision statement refers to “small island states hit by cyclones that grow fiercer each year.” In response to direct questions from Pacific and small island states, she has said she was “very aware of the threats that climate change poses” to SIDS, cited indicators showing increased disaster impacts and argued that climate finance must support both mitigation and adaptation. She has also said countries must be supported to adapt to the impacts already being felt, and linked climate vulnerability to wider structural pressures, including poor financing, high trade and freight costs and weak connectivity. She has expressed support for further work on a vulnerability indicator for SIDS, stressing that their challenges should not be measured only through GDP per capita, and noting that some SIDS had already lost territory because of climate change.

Grynspan’s prior roles have not focused directly on climate but have encompassed related fields, including macroeconomic policy, development finance, trade and institutional reform.

Article 109

Summary

Grynspan insists the Secretary-General role is more than “stewardship” and commits to ambitious structural reform including a more representative Security Council and new UN financing arrangements. She emphasizes an active peacekeeping and mediation role for the UN. 

Profile

Of the current candidates, Grynspan goes furthest in acknowledging the scale of the UN’s challenges. She insists the role is more than “stewardship,” expressing determination to explore creative solutions and implement foundational reform.

“To defend the UN today is to have the courage to change it” is central to Grynspan’s candidacy. While she supports building on existing initiatives, including UN80, she has stressed that cuts alone are insufficient.

She has argued that the Secretary-General must actively lead reform or else the system “maintains the status quo.” She supports Security Council reform to make it more representative. She has called for structural solutions to solve the UN’s financial crisis, arguing these are essential to avoid further fragmentation and build trust.

Peace is also central to her agenda. She has emphasised more active and flexible peacekeeping, including hybrid arrangements and partnerships with regional organizations, recognizing that “the UN doesn’t have the monopoly of peacekeeping.” She has proposed restructuring the Executive Office of the Secretary-General to strengthen mediation capacity.

Grynspan envisages building a UN that has “courage to listen when truth is uncomfortable, present new ideas when the room resists, to persist when others leave.” Her experience of debt restructuring as a Vice President of Costa Rica, facilitating the Black Sea Grain Initiative as Secretary-General of UNCTAD and calling for similar efforts for the Strait of Hormuz may indicate the mediation role she anticipates as Secretary-General. Though Grynspan’s vision statement asserts that “violations can be named,” she was less clear during her General Assembly dialogue about her willingness to confront member states. She also expressed some hesitancy on invoking Article 99, preferring participation in informal and formal Security Council meetings.

Grynspan has implemented the General Assembly recommendation to step away from her existing UN position while campaigning for Secretary-General.