UN SG candidature-ship: Bachelet makes diplomatic pitch to PM

ISLAMABAD: With the race for the next United Nations (UN) secretary-general intensifying, one of the leading contenders, Michelle Bachelet, made a diplomatic pitch on Tuesday, meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as candidates step up outreach to key member states whose support could influence the final selection.

During the meeting, the prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening multilateralism and preserving the central role of the UN in tackling global challenges.

Sharif, while speaking to Bachelet, one of the six candidates vying for the UN’s top position, emphasised the need for upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, ensuring implementation of UN resolutions and international agreements, and promoting balanced progress across the organisation’s three main pillars – peace and security, development, and human rights.

He called for enhanced international cooperation and faster progress towards global development goals, highlighting the need for collective action amid rising geopolitical tensions, conflicts, humanitarian emergencies, economic uncertainty and climate-related threats.

Bachelet appreciated Pakistan’s longstanding association with the UN and acknowledged its contributions to regional and international peace and security.

She also recognised Islamabad’s continued engagement in multilateral initiatives and UN peacekeeping operations.

Bachelet, a former Chilean president, became the latest contender for the UN secretary-general post to visit Islamabad, following meetings between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and two other hopefuls – former Senegalese president MackySall and UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan.

Pakistan’s role in the selection process has gained significance as it currently sits on the 15-member UNSC, which will recommend a candidate to the UN General Assembly for appointment as secretary-general.

The recommendation process is traditionally shaped by diplomatic negotiations, regional representation and the interests of permanent and elected members of the council.

The latest consultations come ahead of the 2026 selection process, with candidates seeking to consolidate support before the Security Council begins formal deliberations.

The six officially nominated candidates include Bachelet Jeria of Chile, a former two-term president and former UN high commissioner for human rights, who was jointly nominated by Brazil and Mexico.

Other contenders are María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés of Ecuador, a former foreign minister and former president of the UN General Assembly, Rafael Mariano Grossi of Argentina, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis of Costa Rica, secretary-general of UNCTAD, Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett of Guyana, the country’s permanent representative to the UN, and MackySall of Senegal, the former president nominated by Burundi.

As the contest progresses, Pakistan’s position on the Security Council places it among the important diplomatic actors in determining who will succeed the current UN secretary-general and lead the world body amid growing global divisions and complex international challenges.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026