UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 21– The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday and Thursday held respective interactive dialogues with two candidates for the next UN secretary-general.
In Wednesday’s dialogue, Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu, who was nominated by his country, said the immediate priority must be given to the proliferation of increasingly deadly conflicts that threaten to engulf entire regions and the world.
He promised to support UN member states to end the Ukraine crisis, address the Gaza crisis, support the peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, work with the African Union and other global partners to end the conflict in Sudan, support ongoing diplomatic efforts to bring about a comprehensive peace agreement in the Iran conflict, and support a more coordinated and concerted counter-terrorism response in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel.
Otunnu also vowed to rebuild consensus on human rights, reform UN, alleviate the fiscal crunch and innovate UN financing, harness the unprecedented opportunities of artificial intelligence, deepen cooperation between UN and regional organizations, and reconnect the global public to UN.
Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu, a candidate for the next UN secretary-general, speaks to reporters after an interactive dialogue with UN member states at the UN headquarters in New York, Aug. 19, 2026. The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday and Thursday held respective interactive dialogues with two candidates for the next UN secretary-general. (UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
In Thursday’s dialogue, Ecuadoran diplomat Ivonne A-Baki said she wants to be a leader rather than a manager, if selected as the next UN secretary-general.
“A manager is someone who follows a mission statement. A leader is someone who follows a north star,” said A-Baki, who was nominated by Tonga. “My north star for this world body is not necessarily reform. It’s renewal. Renewal of the promise of building peace and preventing war. Renewal of the promise to promote human dignity and social progress and renewal of the vision that the UN can be the one body where nations of the world can work together to achieve more than nations working alone.”
She promised to commit to direct and delegated peacekeeping and peacemaking, Security Council modernization, resolving development debt and unlocking finance, and safeguarding human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence.
Ecuadoran diplomat Ivonne A-Baki, a candidate for the next UN secretary-general, speaks at an interactive dialogue with UN member states at the UN headquarters in New York, Aug. 20, 2026. The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday and Thursday held respective interactive dialogues with two candidates for the next UN secretary-general. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
The UNGA began to convene interactive dialogues with candidates for the next UN secretary-general in late April.
The other six candidates have attended interactive dialogues one by one.
Current UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ term of office expires at the end of this year. The next secretary-general will take over the role on Jan. 1, 2027.
