Excellent post: Russia to discuss election of new UN Secretary General with Grossi
The election of the UN Secretary General may become one of the topics at the next talks between Russian representatives and the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi. Alexey Likhachev, the head of Rosatom, told Izvestia about this. The head of the IAEA announced his readiness to become the next Secretary General of the United Nations in early April. The chances that the Russian Federation may support Grossi's candidacy are high, according to the expert community. However, Moscow has not yet officially disclosed plans on this issue. In addition, it is possible that a woman may become the next head of the world organization.
Russian representatives to meet with Rafael Grossi
The head of Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, said in a conversation with Izvestia that the Russian side intends to hold a "serious conversation" with the leadership of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). According to him, Russia will propose to the head of the organization, Rafael Grossi, to arrange an official interdepartmental consultation in June. The election of the UN Secretary General, which will take place in 2026, may also become one of the topics of negotiations.
— We are now starting to follow the situation related to the election of the UN Secretary General with some interest. This may also become one of the topics of our conversations," he said.
Rafael Grossi announced his readiness to run for the post of Secretary General of the world Organization in early April. "I am considering this very seriously," he said, adding that he would be honored if his native Argentina nominated him as a candidate. The country's authorities have not yet commented on the initiative of the head of the IAEA.
Newly elected Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi before the meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors. The year 2019
Rafael Grossi, 64, is an international official and diplomat with extensive experience. The Argentine has been the head of the IAEA since 2019. Prior to being elected Director General of the organization in the 2000s, he was head of the Chancellery at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague. Prior to that, he held various positions in the Argentine Foreign Ministry, including head of the diplomatic mission in Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as Argentina's representative to NATO. He started working in the structures of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1985.
Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi and delegates of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant
After the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, Rafael Grossi conducted intense negotiations with representatives of the conflicting parties on nuclear safety, especially against the background of the systematic shelling of the Zaporizhia NPP by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It is no exaggeration to say that the head of the IAEA was able to earn the trust of both the West, Ukraine, and Russia. He held personal meetings with Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky several times. Mikhail Mironyuk, Associate Professor of the Department of Politics and Management at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, admits that Moscow could support the candidacy of Rafael Grossi.
— The election of the UN Secretary General is a complicated process. There are too many interests involved. Yes, a native of a severely underrepresented region has many chances, all other things being equal [conditions]. But Eastern Europe, by the way, is also underrepresented. I think the elections will be difficult," he said in a conversation with Izvestia.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, at a meeting of the UN Security Council
In early May, the first deputy permanent representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, said that Russia currently has no preferences regarding the candidacy of the new Secretary General of the world organization. He noted that Moscow's basic approach to this issue is that it should be a candidate "focused on respecting the UN Charter and ready to behave equidistant and give appropriate instructions to his subordinates."
— All other questions, including the gender of the future candidate, are secondary to us. At the same time, we are guided by an informal agreement that Latin American candidates will have preference in these elections, but this is not a dogma either," he said.
Who can become the new UN Secretary General
According to the UN Charter, the Secretary General is appointed by the General Assembly (GA) on the recommendation of the Security Council. In 2015, the GA adopted a resolution that established a new process for the selection and appointment of the Secretary General. The candidates for the post of UN Secretary General were invited to present their vision of the future of the organization, and they were also able to participate in informal dialogues with the entire General Assembly. The meetings were openly shown to the public, which had not happened before. It was through this procedure that the current UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, was elected. His term of office expires on December 31, 2026.
The UN Secretary—General is always a compromise figure who is obliged to take into account the opinion not only of influential members of the Security Council, but also of the 193 member states of the General Assembly, which in recent years have gained great weight due to the voice of the countries of the Global South.
In addition, geographical rotation has historically developed, so it seems likely that the next head of the United Nations will be a representative of Latin America and the Caribbean, former Deputy UN Secretary General Sergei Ordzhonikidze told Izvestia. By the way, the last representative of Latin America as UN Secretary General was Javier Perez de Cuellar, a native of Peru, who held this position in 1982-1991.
— A group of Latin American countries should present their candidate. At the same time, it remains unclear who they will nominate — there will certainly be some foreign ministers who will also want to propose their candidacy," the expert said. — There are always a lot of applicants in Latin America. Brazil plays the main role in the Latin American group as the largest country. Mexico may also show interest.
It is also possible that a woman may become the next Secretary General. In the fall of 2023, CNN reported that the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, would become the favorite among the candidates for the post of the new head of the world organization. She is known, in particular, for actively advocating for combating climate change. In addition, in 2022, she launched the Bridgetown Initiative, an action plan aimed at reforming the international financial system in order to provide more effective assistance to developing countries.
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