Melnyk suggests IAEA Chief Grossi could be next UN Secretary-General
According to Ukrinform, Melnyk wrote about this on Facebook, sharing impressions from a chance meeting with Grossi at the UN headquarters.
“You never know whom you might run into in the wide corridors of the United Nations,” the envoy noted, saying he met the IAEA Chief, who had just returned from Chornobyl.
“A heartfelt conversation, as always. Who knows, perhaps very soon it may be Grossi who becomes the next Secretary-General of the United Nations,” Melnyk wrote.
He added that Ukraine is not standing aside. “We are taking a more than active role in this global geopolitical game,” he noted.
As reported, the mandate of current UN Secretary-General António Guterres ends on December 31, 2026.
The selection process for the next Secretary-General officially began in November 2025.
The UN Security Council is set to hold a series of closed-door votes in the second half of 2026 to determine a frontrunner.
A final vote by the General Assembly, based on the Security Council’s recommendation, is to take place in the fall of 2026.
According to the informal principle of regional rotation, the next turn is expected to go to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Several key figures are currently being discussed, with growing support for the idea that the UN should be led by a woman.
Among the candidates mentioned are Grossi (Argentina), former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and ex-President of Chile Michelle Bachelet, and UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan from Costa Rica.
Photo: Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN
