Four Visions of the United Nations - by candidates for UN Secretary General

Guest Blog by Lenni Montiel : Senior UN Development Leader (Ret.) | UNDP Resident Representative I Former UN Assistant Secretary-General | Governance, Public Policy & Multilateral Diplomacy | Leadership Advisor & Trainer I Chevening Scholar A reading of the vision statements of the candidates for UN Secretary-General reveals something striking:

They are not simply campaign platforms, but different answers to the same question: what should the United Nations be?

Having worked within the UN system, I read them as signals of how each candidate understands the institution.

A quick comparison of the visions of Rafael Mariano Grossi, Michelle Bachelet, Macky Sall and Rebeca Grynspan shows both common ground and strategic differences.

Four visions of the United Nations

Grossi frames the challenge as a crisis of effectiveness in a fragmented geopolitical environment. His priorities emphasize preventive diplomacy, operational delivery and stronger coordination across the UN system, an operational, results-oriented leadership model.

Bachelet describes the moment as a crisis of values and cooperation. Her vision centers on human rights, gender equality and the protection of vulnerable populations. A normative, rights-based conception of the UN.

Sall highlights structural inequalities in global governance affecting developing countries. His priorities focus on development finance, climate resilience and stronger Global South representation. Political leadership rooted in development diplomacy.

Grynspan frames the moment as a crisis of trust in multilateralism. Her vision emphasizes revitalizing cooperation, strengthening economic governance and improving institutional effectiveness, combining development economics with pragmatic multilateral diplomacy.

Common ground

Despite their differences, the four visions converge on several points

• defense of multilateralism
• recognition of a systemic global crisis
• the need for UN reform
• the interconnected nature of global challenges
• the importance of peace and security as a core UN responsibility

A notable structural observation. All four largely avoid detailed proposals on internal UN restructuring, despite growing financial pressure on the system. At this stage, candidates appear to frame their visions around global priorities rather than institutional redesign.

Ultimately, however, the direction of the United Nations depends not only on the Secretary-General, but on the political choices of its Member States.

In April, the debate among the candidates will begin. Others may still enter the race. The key question will be what distinct perspective each candidate brings to the future of the United Nations.

Taken together, these perspectives point to four different conceptions of UN leadership:

Grossi → the UN as an operational crisis manager

Bachelet → the UN as a defender of global norms

Sall → the UN as a platform for Global South equity

Grynspan → the UN as a steward of economic multilateralism

For you - which of these visions feels closest to the UN that Member States are actually prepared to support politically today?