UN Town Hall: The Next Secretary-General

Summary

Bloomberg hosts a UN town hall where six candidates for the next UN Secretary-General present their visions, priorities, and responses to questions on global challenges including conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and the Strait of Hormuz, institutional reform, climate change, AI governance, trade fragmentation, and multilateralism. The event features opening statements, moderated Q&A, audience questions, and closing remarks, with a focus on rebuilding trust and credibility in the United Nations.

• Six candidates for UN Secretary-General participate in a town hall at UN Headquarters moderated by Bloomberg's Haslinda Amin and Romaine Bostick.
• Candidates include Michelle Bachelet, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Rafael Mariano Grossi, Rebecca Greenspan, Carolyn Rodriguez Paquette, and Macky Sall.
• Discussion covers crisis response, Security Council paralysis, peace and security, institutional reform, financial pressures, and leadership.
• Global challenges addressed include artificial intelligence, climate change, pandemic preparedness, trade fragmentation, and human rights.
• Candidates emphasize restoring trust, impartiality, preventive diplomacy, and partnerships with private sector and civil society.
• Closing statements outline priorities for the first 100 days such as reform implementation, conflict resolution, and financial stability.
• The town hall includes audience polls showing early support for Caroline Rodriguez Paquette on reform and overall convincing performance.
• The selection process for the next Secretary-General is ongoing, with the new leader expected to take office in 2027 amid a fractured global landscape.