Rebeca Grynspan Emerges as Contender for UN's Top Post

Rebeca Grynspan, the Costa Rican leader, is emerging as a potential contender to become the first woman to lead the United Nations. Rebeca is a Costa Rican diplomat, economist and former vice-president, who has a long track record in public policy, international development and diplomacy. She will become the first female to head a global institution, and another sign of the increasing influence of women on international institutions.

Currently, Rebeca is the secretary general of the UN Conference on Trade and Development. She was vice-president of Costa Rica and previously held several senior positions at the United Nations system.

Her families are also strongly linked to her path to reaching the peak of global leadership. She was born to Jewish parents who fled Poland during the Second World War and her maternal grandparents were murdered by the Nazis. Rebeca would be the first female and the first Jewish UN secretary general.

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, will serve his second term, ending on 31 December 2026. The unofficial rotation scheme practised at the regional level has raised hopes among all parties that the next secretary general will be from Latin America, which puts Grynspan at a strong advantage.

She has been given new backing by a confidential first straw poll by the UN Security Council. The 10 of 15 council members who cast votes gave Rebeca 10 “encourage” votes, four “no opinion” votes and one “discourage” vote.

Key Highlights

• Rebeca Grynspan could break a historic global leadership barrier
• She secured 10 “encourage” votes in initial polling
• Rebeca become the first Jewish UN chief

Rebeca's top competitor is Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana's former UN ambassador, with nine “encourage” votes, two “discourage” votes and four “no opinion” votes.

A western diplomat described Rebeca as a potential “continuity candidate” who has the tacit support of current secretary general Guterres.

Rebeca's love of leadership is rooted in her family's personal history of refugee status. To the UN General Assembly, she declared that: “Peace made it possible for my parents, two refugees from the second world war, to find respect and dignity in a small country, Costa Rica. I'm the daughter of this peace, a proof of what peace makes possible.”

The story of her life is just as significant as the role of women's leadership and representation in global decision-making. Women's underrepresentation has been the case at the highest institutions of the international community for decades.

Secretary-general of the UN is chosen by the UN Security Council on the basis of a recommendation from the council and confirmed by the General Assembly, which consists of 193 members. The Security Council, which is composed of nine members, including five permanent members, must approve a candidate with nine votes or more without needing a veto from any of the five permanent members.

Her appointment would be a milestone for women in leadership, women's empowerment and gender equality in global institutions. More important, it would bring to one of the world's most influential organisations a woman with a wealth of experience in diplomacy, economics and international affairs.

For women entrepreneurs, business leaders and women aspiring to be changemakers she is another case in point of women's emergence at the top of the decision-making table in the world.