U.N. Secretary-General

Daniel Forti and Mariea Sekijima join Viola Gienger to discuss the most important developments from the 2026 UN General Assembly.

The challenges facing the U.N. include recurrent financial shortfalls and political irrelevance to some of the world's major crises.

The seven candidates share a common premise: that the U.N. remains indispensable but is struggling to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world.

UN member states should expand the field of candidates for Secretary-General by nominating more women for the role.

A U.N. pivot back to conflict mediation, suggested in the secretary-general search, will only reap dividends if peacebuilding is high on the next leader's agenda.

In 2026, a decades-old question returns to center stage: will this finally be the moment for a woman to serve as U.N. Secretary-General?

As the UN marks 20 years of its Global Counterterrorism Strategy, co-facilitators must steer fraught negotiations to protect human rights and preserve consensus.

To support peace efforts, the U.N. will need to show that it can adapt to the changing world order and not mourn the old order.

Research analyzing statements by U.N. member states shows at least 94 interested in seeing a woman become the next secretary-general for the first time.

Trump's General Assembly speech could have been worse, but it also showed that if countries want to make the U.N. system work, they can't bank on U.S. leadership.

The road to a leaner, more efficient U.N. is likely to be bumpy, but as the U.N. turns 80, its future may lie in being able to adapt to shifting global realities.

The UN80 reform process, done well, offers a chance to streamline sprawling -- and too often harmful -- structures to focus on the U.N.’s core purpose.