Rebeca Grynspan Leads UN Secretary-General Straw Poll

On September 18, 2026, the United Nations Security Council held its third straw poll for the position of UN Secretary-General, with Rebeca Grynspan, the current Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), leading the results. Grynspan received nine encourage votes, five discourage votes, and one no-opinion vote, marking her as the strongest candidate among the eight assessed.

Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett followed in second place with eight encourage votes, six discourage votes, and one no-opinion. Other candidates, including Olara Otunnu, Rafael Grossi, and Macky Sall, each garnered five encourage votes, but their discourage votes varied significantly.

The weakest results were recorded by Michelle Bachelet, who received one encourage vote and 11 discourages, and Ivonne A-Baki, who received no encourage votes at all. The straw polls serve as informal assessments of candidate support, crucial for determining which candidates can remain competitive in the selection process.