Rebeca Grynspan, a leading contender to become the next United Nations secretary-general, has said the organisation has grown “too risk-averse” and must be prepared to accept diplomatic setbacks while continuing to pursue peace. Speaking in an interview on Thursday, the Costa Rican economist argued that the next leader will need to take chances, especially through quiet negotiations when major powers are at war.
Her remarks came ahead of a Security Council poll scheduled for Friday, which will gauge support for those seeking to replace Antonio Guterres. His second five-year term ends on December 31.
Grynspan urges reform over simple cost cutting
Grynspan said the UN must accept the price of rejection and failure and keep trying. “I think that the UN has become too risk-averse,” she said. “That’s the job of the UN.”
She also called for a series of structural changes to the organisation, including:
- Job cuts across the system
- Less bureaucracy
- An end to duplication among UN agencies
Grynspan argued that trimming budgets alone would not restore the body’s effectiveness, which is under strain from shrinking resources and weaker political influence. “Cost cutting is not enough,” she said. “If you don’t reform, you will do everything worse than before.”
Pointing to her time leading the UN Conference on Trade and Development, she said she had cut 20% of posts while sharpening the agency’s focus. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz has criticised what he called bureaucratic “bloat” and duplication, and has called for a clearer focus on peacekeeping. Grynspan said she shared some of those concerns, saying consolidation and a rethink of how mandates are carried out were needed in several areas that have expanded.
Black Sea grain deal cited as a model for quiet diplomacy
Grynspan pointed to her role in negotiations over the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative as an example of how to handle conflicts involving a permanent member of the Security Council. Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2023 and complained that key parts of it were never carried out.
She said the talks had succeeded because they were kept out of the public eye. “We didn’t go to the press … It was quiet diplomacy that worked,” she said. She added that the aim was not perfect harmony in international affairs but achieving good outcomes.
Grynspan said the UN already had the expertise, information and on-the-ground presence needed for a bigger diplomatic role, but required leadership able to bring those resources together. “Peacemaking has to be at the center of the efforts of the UN,” she said, citing a rise in deadly conflicts between states and calling for more emphasis on mediation and prevention.
She also urged more flexibility in peacekeeping. Pointing to the multinational support mission in Haiti, she asked why the UN should be so defensive about models beyond its own peacekeeping forces, adding that the Haiti effort should be made to work and its lessons learned.
Straw poll support and the contest still ahead
According to diplomats close to the process, Grynspan, who would be the first woman to hold the post if she wins, has finished first in four of five informal straw polls. She received nine votes in favour in the most recent one, held last week.
A candidate needs at least nine positive votes from the 15 Security Council members to secure the recommendation, and cannot face a “discourage” vote from any of the five permanent members: the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain. Friday’s poll will for the first time use colour-coded ballots that show whether a veto-holding member opposes a candidate.
Grynspan said she was the only candidate to have consistently reached nine votes, but said she “wouldn’t be surprised” to receive a discouraging vote from a veto power. She noted that such opposition has been overcome in past races. Diplomats at the UN said several senior figures, including former and current foreign ministers and country leaders, are seriously considering entering the race. Grynspan said new names could emerge after Friday’s vote. “The game is not over, we will have to continue working,” she said.
