The United Nations Security Council prepared to hold informal consultations on a growing field of candidates to become the next UN secretary-general after Uganda's Olara Otunnu became the seventh contender to enter the race. The discussions were expected at UN headquarters in New York.

Otunnu, a former UN under-secretary-general and Uganda's ex-foreign minister, formally joined the contest on July 26. His candidacy adds to a field widely expected to favour a Latin American or Eastern European successor to António Guterres, whose term ends in December 2026 after a decade in office.

The 15-member Security Council conducts the initial screening through straw polls before recommending a single candidate to the General Assembly. Regional rotation and gender have dominated debate, with several member states, including Chile and Costa Rica, pressing for the first woman to hold the post.

Diplomats from the Council's rotating presidency signalled that timed straw polls could begin later this summer, narrowing the field ahead of an autumn vote. The five permanent members — the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France — retain the power to veto any nominee.

A UN spokesperson said the membership expects an open and credible process, adding that candidate hearings before the General Assembly would continue in the coming weeks.