• Opinion by Widad Franco (united nations)
• Friday, February 13, 2026
• Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, February 13 (IPS) – United Nations member international locations will select a brand new UN secretary-general this yr to succeed António Guterres in January 2027. The change in management comes at a time when human rights and democracy, in addition to the worldwide organizations created to uphold these ideas and supply lifesaving help, are under unprecedented attack.

To this point member international locations have formally nominated solely two candidates: former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company Director-Basic Rafael Grossi from Argentina.

The threats to the worldwide human rights system demand a brave chief on the UN who will put human rights on the coronary heart of its agenda. But the choice process offers veto energy over any candidate to the 5 everlasting members of the UN Safety Council: Britain, China, France, Russia, and america.

However human rights are clearly not a precedence for China, Russia, or the United States.

Human Rights Watch and others have lengthy documented makes an attempt by China and Russia to defund and undermine the UN’s human rights pillar. Extra lately, america, which performed a key position in creating the UN and its human rights structure in 1945, has rejected and defunded dozens of UN packages selling rights and humanitarian help.

The Trump administration has additionally withheld billions of {dollars} in UN dues, which has been a significant component within the group’s crippling monetary disaster. Whereas Washington lately introduced an preliminary cost towards its arrears, its actions have nonetheless significantly affected the UN’s skill to do its work.

US President Donald Trump has additionally been attempting to sideline the UN by establishing a “Board of Peace,” modeled after the Safety Council, with himself as chairman for all times. Invited leaders embrace serial rights abusers from China, Belarus, Hungary, and Saudi Arabia, together with two males—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin—going through International Criminal Court warrants.

The UN wants a frontrunner prepared to face as much as main powers and abusive governments to defend victims of abuses and marginalized communities, and aggressively help accountability for critical crimes.

As member states nominate further candidates, they need to put ahead a various pool, especially women and others with confirmed monitor data on human rights, and guarantee a aggressive and clear course of that locations an distinctive particular person dedicated to human rights atop the UN.

Widad Franco is UN Advocate, Human Rights Watch

IPS UN Bureau

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