Agree one African list of demands for the next UN Secretary-General
Why this matters
Guterres's term ends on 31 December 2026. In the fourth on 29 September, Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica led with ten encouragements. A candidate needs nine of the Council's 15 votes and no veto from a permanent member. In the third poll, Macky Sall drew nine discouragements and Olara Otunnu seven. Africa's realistic aim this year is to shape the winner's first term.
A front-runner who is short of nine votes will listen to three Council members who vote together. Promises made in writing before the Council decides are easier to enforce afterwards. Once a candidate has been chosen, Africa's three votes lose most of their value.
The request rests on facts. UN Women is moving about 190 posts to Nairobi and Bonn. Africans held 34.1% of posts in the UN's central staff in 2024, down from 37.9% in 2020. The UN publishes no regional figures for its senior posts, so no one can show how Africa fares at the top.
Africa's own discipline is the weak point. In March, 14 African states objected to the AU backing Sall, and six more asked for delay. A list agreed by all 54 states has force only if governments put it ahead of their own candidates and side deals.
Sources for this section (9)
- The National: the fourth straw poll and the nine-vote rule (opens in a new tab)
- PassBlue: results of the third straw poll (opens in a new tab)
- UN Women: the move of posts to Nairobi and Bonn (opens in a new tab)
- UN: composition of the Secretariat, A/80/508 (opens in a new tab)
- Institute for Security Studies: objections to Sall's endorsement (opens in a new tab)
- Security Council Report: colour-coded ballots, as used in 2006 and 2016 (opens in a new tab)
- Sierra Leone State House: the Committee of Ten on UN reform (opens in a new tab)
- Amani Africa: Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and the AU (opens in a new tab)
- UN News: the Council members for 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Four levels of action
-
What Africa asks of the world
Africa asks each front-runner, and the five of the Council, for written promises on three things. These are named senior posts for Africans, yearly publication of senior staff numbers by region, and decision-making power for Nairobi as a .
- Who
- The front-runners and the Security Council, above all its five permanent members
- When
- Colour-coded straw polls, expected in October 2026 as in the 2006 and 2016 races; the new Secretary-General starts on 1 January 2027
-
What the African Union does
The and , the heads of state who speak for Africa on UN reform, agree a one-page list. Sierra Leone coordinates the Committee. The list goes to the , the 54 African states that work together at the UN.
- Who
- The AU Commission and the Committee of Ten, coordinated by Sierra Leone
- When
- By 9 October 2026
-
What regional groups do
No regional group has a role in UN appointments, so the African Group in New York carries the list. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are suspended from AU decisions after coups, yet they still sit in the African Group. The Group should share the list with them and ask for their support.
- Who
- The chair of the African Group in New York
- When
- By 14 October 2026
-
Which country goes first, and why
The DRC, Liberia and Somalia go first. They hold three of the 15 Council seats in 2026, a third of the nine votes any candidate needs. Only Council members vote in the straw polls. Their ambassadors hand the list to each front-runner and publish the replies.
- Who
- The ambassadors of the DRC, Liberia and Somalia to the UN
- When
- Hand over by 16 October 2026; publish replies by 28 October 2026
Before another country can do this
- A seat on the Council, or a close working link to the African members who hold one.
- A mission in New York able to follow the straw polls each week.
- A national position that puts the common list ahead of deals with individual candidates.
- For a country hosting UN offices, housing, schools and health care ready for staff who move there.
What does not carry over from the first country
- Somalia leaves the Council at the end of 2026, so its bargaining power lasts only for this race.
- Nairobi hosts the only UN headquarters in Africa and the Global South, and began a $340 million expansion in May 2026. No other African capital has that base.
Who else is ready
| Country | Why | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe | Elected on 3 June 2026, it joins the Council on 1 January 2027, in the new Secretary-General's first year. | Source (opens in a new tab) |
| Kenya | Nairobi hosts one of the four main UN offices in the world, and the headquarters of the and UN-Habitat. | Source (opens in a new tab) |
| Senegal and Uganda | Sall and Otunnu are still candidates, so these two governments decide whether Africa speaks with one voice. | Source (opens in a new tab) |
Has this worked before?
In 1996 the United States vetoed a second term for Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt. African states held together, and the next round was limited to African candidates. Kofi Annan of Ghana took office in 1997. Source (opens in a new tab)
The Spokesman-Review: the US veto of Boutros-Ghali, November 1996
First steps
- African Unionby 9 October 2026, the AU Commission and the Committee of Ten agree the list and send it to the African Group.
- Regional groupsby 14 October 2026, the chair of the African Group sends it to all 54 African missions, including those of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
- DRC, Liberia and Somalia: by 16 October 2026, their ambassadors hand the list to each front-runner, and they publish the replies by 28 October.
Who acts, and with what
- Who leads
- The AU Commission and the Committee of Ten, with the African Group; the DRC, Liberia and Somalia as the first negotiators
- Instrument
- A list of requests endorsed by the Committee of Ten, handed in writing to each front-runner by the three African Council members
- How progress is checked
- Written replies that name posts, promise to publish senior staff numbers by region, and address Nairobi
- Signal to change course
- The Council recommends a candidate with no promises to Africa on record
- What stands in the way
- Only three African states can bargain directly. Senegal and Uganda each back their own candidate. The Council may move faster than the AU can consult its members.
- Cost and money
- The work uses the time of diplomats already in New York. No new budget is needed, and no cost figure is available. UN Women expects to save at least $8 million a year from its move.
Who else contributes
| Who | Contribution |
|---|---|
| The African Group in New York | Holds its members to the list |
| Kenya | Sets out what decision-making power in Nairobi would require |
| Zimbabwe | Carries the promises onto the Council in 2027 |
| Senegal and Uganda | Keep their campaigns from undercutting the list |
| Research institutes and universities | Track whether the promises are kept |
What each audience can do
Governments
What you can doInstruct your UN mission to back the common list
What you gainSenior UN posts and a stronger Nairobi
AU and regional bodies
What you can doHave the Committee of Ten endorse the list within two weeks
What you gainA tested way of bargaining as a bloc
NGOs and civil society
What you can doPublish what each candidate has said about Africa
What you gainA Secretary-General held to specific promises
Researchers and media
What you can doCompare the candidates' records on African issues
What you gainBetter-informed public debate
Business and investors
What you can doSet out what Nairobi offers UN offices that move there
What you gainDemand from staff who relocate
Young people and citizens
What you can doAsk the candidates what they will do for Africa's young people
What you gainA UN leader who has answered to you in public
The briefings behind this
UN Secretary-General
The head of the UN's staff and its main public voice. The Security Council recommends a candidate and the General Assembly appoints them, usually for five years. António Guterres's term ends on 31 December 2026.
African Union (AU)
The organisation of 55 African states, based in Addis Ababa. Its heads of state meet each February. It can suspend members after a coup.
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Africa's second-largest country by area, in central Africa. Its east has seen armed conflict for three decades, and it holds much of the world's cobalt.
UN Security Council
The 15-member UN body that decides on war and peace. It can impose sanctions and send peacekeepers, and its decisions bind all UN members. Five permanent members can each block any decision.
The UN and diplomacy briefingGlossarySource: un.org (opens in a new tab)
Straw poll
An informal, secret vote in which Security Council members mark each Secretary-General candidate "encourage", "discourage" or "no opinion". Several rounds are held before the Council makes its formal choice.
Veto and permanent members
China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States hold permanent seats on the Security Council. Each can block any decision on its own. Africa has no permanent seat.
UN duty station
A city where the UN bases its staff. The four main ones are New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi. Nairobi is the only UN headquarters in Africa and the Global South.
The UN and diplomacy briefingGlossarySource: unon.org (opens in a new tab)
African Union Commission
The African Union's secretariat. It prepares decisions for heads of state and carries them out.
The Committee of Ten
Ten African heads of state chosen by the African Union to speak for Africa on Security Council reform.
The African Group at the UN
The 54 African member states working together as one of the UN's five regional groups. The groups put forward candidates for elections to UN bodies. The African Group itself has no vote on the Security Council.
The UN and diplomacy briefingGlossarySource: un.org (opens in a new tab)
UNEP
The UN Environment Programme, the UN's agency for the environment, based in Nairobi.
Words used on this page
- UN Secretary-General
- The head of the UN's staff and its main public voice. The Security Council recommends a candidate and the General Assembly appoints them, usually for five years. António Guterres's term ends on 31 December 2026. The UN and diplomacy briefing · Glossary
- African Union (AU)
- The organisation of 55 African states, based in Addis Ababa. Its heads of state meet each February. It can suspend members after a coup. Glossary · Source: au.int
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
- Africa's second-largest country by area, in central Africa. Its east has seen armed conflict for three decades, and it holds much of the world's cobalt. Security and conflict briefing · Glossary
- UN Security Council
- The 15-member UN body that decides on war and peace. It can impose sanctions and send peacekeepers, and its decisions bind all UN members. Five permanent members can each block any decision. The UN and diplomacy briefing · Glossary · Source: un.org
- Straw poll
- An informal, secret vote in which Security Council members mark each Secretary-General candidate "encourage", "discourage" or "no opinion". Several rounds are held before the Council makes its formal choice. The UN and diplomacy briefing · Glossary
- Veto and permanent members
- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States hold permanent seats on the Security Council. Each can block any decision on its own. Africa has no permanent seat. The UN and diplomacy briefing · Glossary
- UN duty station
- A city where the UN bases its staff. The four main ones are New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi. Nairobi is the only UN headquarters in Africa and the Global South. The UN and diplomacy briefing · Glossary · Source: unon.org
- African Union Commission
- The African Union's secretariat. It prepares decisions for heads of state and carries them out. Glossary
- The Committee of Ten
- Ten African heads of state chosen by the African Union to speak for Africa on Security Council reform. The UN and diplomacy briefing · Glossary
- The African Group at the UN
- The 54 African member states working together as one of the UN's five regional groups. The groups put forward candidates for elections to UN bodies. The African Group itself has no vote on the Security Council. The UN and diplomacy briefing · Glossary · Source: un.org
- UNEP
- The UN Environment Programme, the UN's agency for the environment, based in Nairobi. Climate and energy briefing · Glossary