Costa Rica’s Grynspan takes early lead in race to helm UN, would be first woman and Jewish chief

A first informal UN Security Council poll on Thursday showed Costa Rica’s former vice president Rebeca Grynspan as the early frontrunner in the race to be the United Nations secretary-general, followed by former Guyanese foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, diplomats told Reuters.

If elected, Grynspan would be the first woman and the first Jew to lead the UN.

One diplomat said Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog, came in a “surprise” third place among the seven candidates for the post.

The non-binding “straw poll” voting by the Security Council’s 15 members awarded Grynspan 10 “encourage” votes, compared with nine for for Rodrigues-Birkett and seven for Grossi.

The candidates are seeking to replace Antonio Guterres of Portugal when he steps down at the end of this year after two five-year terms.

Guterres’ successor faces the task of revitalizing an organization in crisis and declining stature, amid growing pressure to reform what critics say is a bloated, costly bureaucracy and reduce duplication across its agencies.

In the straw polls, of which multiple rounds are expected, Security Council members in secret ballots are asked whether they “encourage,” “discourage” or have “no opinion” on each candidate.

Diplomats said Grynspan also received one “discourage” vote and four no-opinion votes. Rodrigues-Birkett received two discourage votes and four no-opinions, while Grossi received two discourage votes and six no-opinions.

In the early rounds of straw polls, identical ballots are cast, allowing diplomats to see overall levels of support and opposition without revealing whether negative votes came from one of the Council’s five veto-wielding permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — whose support is vital.

The other candidates are former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, former Ecuadorean foreign minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former Senegalese president Macky Sall, and Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu, who entered the race last week.

Bachelet received six encourage, five discourage and four no-opinions; Sall six encourage, seven discourage and two no-opinions; Espinosa five encourage, two discourage and eight no-opinions; and Otunnu two encourage, five discourage and eight no-opinions.

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, told reporters after the meeting the voting was confidential and added: “We’ll let the process play out … We need a Secretary-General that is going to reform this institution, that is going to make it leaner, more fit for purpose, more relevant on the international stage.”

Two diplomats said the results were encouraging for Grynspan — assuming her single discourage vote did not come from a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, while another added: “Birkett is the surprise there. If the two discourage are not P5, she could sneak in.”

Another diplomat said the straw poll revealed “no consensus” on any one candidate.

Historical precedent suggests multiple rounds of polling could continue in the coming weeks and conclude in late September or early October. The process could take longer if no consensus candidate emerges.

Other candidates can still join the contest.

At a later stage in the process, the five permanent members use ballots of a different color from elected members that reveal whether a candidate has received a “discourage” vote from one of them.

The Security Council ultimately adopts a resolution, traditionally behind closed doors, recommending an appointment to the 193-member UN General Assembly. This needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes. Subsequent General Assembly approval has long been seen as a formality.

Grynspan, descended from Holocaust refugees, has relations with leading Jewish organizations, family in Israel and is a source of pride for Costa Rica’s small Jewish community. She is also an insider in the UN, where she currently leads the Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Israel has long accused the UN of promoting animus against the country on the world stage. Grynspan’s office, like other UN agencies, has produced reports critical of Israel’s conduct toward Palestinians.

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