By Rinelda Mouton
Sources within the Ministry of International Relations and Trade (MIRT) have revealed to Confidente that contenders vying to become the 10th secretary-general of the United Nations, succeeding António Guterres, have been quietly engaging Namibia’s international relations minister Selma Ashipala- Musavyi.
Among those understood to be in the race are Rafael Grossi, Rebeca Grynspan, Michelle Bachelet, and Macky Sall.
Ashipala-Musavyi cautioned, however, that it remains too early for Namibia to declare support for any particular candidate.
“I wish to state that Namibia’s support for any candidate will be guided by a set of principles. These include a demonstrated commitment to multilateralism, adherence to the principles of the UN Charter, support for UN reforms, strengthening partnerships between the AU and the UN, and advancing the priorities of the African continent and the Global South,” Ashipala-Musavyi said.
She added that Namibia, as a firm believer in multilateralism, is closely monitoring the selection process to inform its eventual position.
“This is a highly important process, which was also discussed at the last African Union Assembly, not least because of the longstanding partnership and cooperation between the AU and the UN,” she noted.
“Indeed, the race for the UN’s top job has commenced in earnest. The interactive dialogues, currently taking place from 21 to 22 April 2026, are introducing candidates and providing Member States with an opportunity to assess their visions and leadership priorities ahead of Security Council consultations.
“For Namibia, the next secretary-general must reflect the UN’s founding values, including equitable geographic representation and gender equality. It is our fervent hope that the selection process will yield a credible candidate with the independence and vision needed to lead the organisation through increasingly complex global dynamics,” Ashipala-Musavyi said. The candidates include:
RAFAEL GROSSI
Rafael Grossi, a 65-year-old career diplomat from Argentina, has been an omnipresent, hyperactive director general of the U.N. nuclear watchdog for the past six years.
While the International Atomic Energy Agency has long policed Iran’s nuclear programme, Grossi led negotiations aimed at salvaging parts of a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers after President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of it in 2018. Grossi’s critics argue he has gone too far in trying to cut deals with Iran.
A father of eight and polyglot who speaks English, Spanish, French and Italian, Grossi has raised both his and the IAEA’s profile with his shuttle diplomacy in international crises.
His clearest success was getting a small IAEA team stationed at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine after repeated trips across the front line in the Russia-Ukraine war.
He has sought to project the image of a man of action in the race, in which many diplomats see him as front runner after his years spent trying to keep onside the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council – the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France – whose backing is crucial for the top job.
REBECA GRYNSPAN
Rebecca Grynspan, 70, depicts herself as a reform minded multilateralist who has battled gender barriers and has had a lifelong belief in the U.N. and its commitment to peace, development and human rights.
A former vice president of Costa Rica who heads the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, Grynspan said she stepped back from duties until September to avoid conflicts of interest during the campaign. Grossi has continued in his role at the IAEA while campaigning.
Born to parents who fled Europe after World War Two, she links her worldview directly to the origins of the U.N. and its role in international cooperation and preventing conflict.
If elected, Grynspan would become the first woman as secretary general.
MICHELLE BACHELET
Michelle Bachelet, 74, is a two-time president of Chile and a former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, who also served from 2010-13 as executive director of U.N. Women, an agency promoting women’s rights.
In March, Chile withdrew its backing for Bachelet after a right-wing shift in the country’s leadership, but she said she would press ahead with support from Brazil and Mexico.
Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast’s government said her campaign lacked broad political consensus at home and faced poor odds internationally.
Bachelet has faced criticism from U.S. conservatives for her pro-choice stance on abortion and in April Washington’s U.N. envoy, Mike Waltz, appeared to torpedo her bid by saying he shared a U.S. senator’s concerns about her suitability.
Republican Senator Pete Ricketts charged
that Bachelet had pulled punches as U.N. human rights chief in a 2022 report by failing to label China’s actions against Uyghur Muslims a genocide, and has also promoted abortion as a fundamental human right. Beijing has not stated its position on her candidacy.
MACKY SALL
Macky Sall, who was Senegal’s president for 12 years until 2024, emphasises his experience as head of state as a key asset for the role of secretary-general.
The 64-year-old geologist – the son of a peanut seller from a poor part of the West African country – completed major infrastructure projects during his tenure and has championed African development.
Sall has stressed the need to support developing countries burdened by debt. He is calling for an overhaul of the Security Council, in a nod to demands from developing nations for permanent seats on the most powerful U.N. body.
Sall, who is softly spoken and more comfortable in French than English, was nominated by Burundi. His candidacy has mixed backing in Africa, with his homeland and Nigeria withholding support, according to diplomatic notes reviewed by Reuters.
If chosen, he would be the third African secretary-general after Egypt’s Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Ghana’s Kofi Annan.
