Grynspan Calls for Modernizing UN Security Council as Leadership Race Intensifies
UNITED NATIONS — Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, a candidate for the next United Nations secretary-general, said the Security Council would carry greater authority if it better reflected the modern global landscape rather than its post-World War II structure.
Speaking Wednesday at a candidate forum with diplomats and civil society representatives, Grynspan acknowledged the wide range of opinions on how the Council should be reformed, emphasizing the need for consensus.
“You will have to look for a convergence and what is that you want to take forward,” she said.
Grynspan, a native of Costa Rica, said her region remains underrepresented in global decision-making bodies, giving her a personal understanding of the issue.
“A Security Council that reflects the world of today will carry heavier and better weight,” she said.
She added that reform efforts should extend beyond expanding or adjusting membership to include changes in how the Council operates, noting that some groups are focused on improving its working methods.
Grynspan is currently on leave from her role as secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) while campaigning for the top UN post. She previously served as vice president of Costa Rica and has held senior roles within the UN system, including under-secretary-general and associate administrator of the United Nations Development Programme.
Her candidacy comes as the United Nations faces mounting financial pressures alongside broader institutional challenges. Grynspan pointed to her experience managing such situations, including UNCTAD’s efforts to help prevent a food crisis linked to the war in Ukraine by facilitating agreements that allowed the safe passage of grain and fertilizer shipments through the Black Sea.
She is one of four candidates seeking to succeed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose second term concludes later this year. The Security Council will select a nominee and forward the recommendation to the General Assembly for final approval. (Source: IANS)
