Costa Rican diplomat Rebeca Grynspan has emerged as the early frontrunner to become the next UN secretary general, potentially making history as the first woman to lead the organisation.
Grynspan, a former Costa Rican vice-president and current head of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, received 10 “encourage” votes in the first secret straw poll of the 15-member UN Security Council, The Guardian reported.
She received four “no opinion” votes and one “discourage” vote, putting her ahead of Guyana’s former UN envoy Carolyn Rodrigues-Burkett, who received nine votes of encouragement.
Current UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is due to complete his second term on 31 December 2026.
Under an informal regional rotation system, his successor is expected to come from Latin America.
If selected, Grynspan would also become the first Jewish UN secretary general. Her parents fled Poland for Costa Rica during the second world war, while her maternal grandparents were killed by the Nazis.
“Peace is what made it possible for my parents, two refugees from the second world war, to find respect and dignity in a small country, Costa Rica,” Grynspan previously told the UN General Assembly.
The selection process is expected to conclude in October. A successful candidate needs at least nine Security Council votes and no veto from any of its five permanent members.
