The U.N.’s marquee election, the appointment of a new secretary-general, is at least a year off. But the changing of the guard at the United Nations is already well underway.
Candidates are actively vying for the top jobs next year at the U.N. Development Programme, the International Telecommunications Union, and the UN Refugee Agency.
U.N. delegates — led by the ambassadors of South Africa and Romania — have been meeting behind closed doors to produce a set of rules for candidates seeking to replace António Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister, who ends his 10-year tenure at the head of the U.N. in December 2026.
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About the author
Colum Lynch
Colum Lynch is an award-winning reporter and Senior Global Reporter for Devex. He covers the intersection of development, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief at the United Nations and beyond. Prior to Devex, Colum reported on foreign policy and national security for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post. Colum was awarded the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital reporting for his blog Turtle Bay. He has also won an award for groundbreaking reporting on the U.N.’s failure to protect civilians in Darfur.
