The contest to become the next United Nations Secretary-General intensified on Thursday as candidates and regional blocs pressed their cases ahead of the Security Council's selection process. Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu is among those positioning for the post, which will be vacant when António Guterres completes his second five-year term at the end of 2026.

Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister, has led the UN since 2017. Under the organisation's convention of regional rotation, many member states argue the next Secretary-General should come from a region that has not recently held the office, strengthening calls from African and Latin American governments.

The African Union has argued that no candidate from the continent has ever held the top UN post, and several diplomats from the bloc have lobbied for a unified African nominee. Latin American and Caribbean states have countered that their region is also overdue, while campaigners have renewed demands for the first woman to lead the organisation.

The Security Council's five permanent members — the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France — retain effective veto power over the eventual nominee, who must then be confirmed by the General Assembly. Diplomats at UN headquarters in New York said informal consultations were expected to continue through the autumn before a formal recommendation.

A UN spokesperson said the selection would follow the process agreed by member states, including public hearings for declared candidates. Analysts at the International Crisis Group have said great-power rivalry between Washington and Moscow could complicate efforts to reach consensus on a single figure.